Escape
by leelee0474
Summary: Michael and Fiona embark on a new life together.
1. Chapter 1

A/N...Thanks to Amanda for reading this. Thanks to the PCC & my Twitter gals. I think we ALL need some happy fluff.

Dedicated to my best gal Noelle (burner4life) ...she inspired this one!

* * *

Fiona sat at one side of the table, with her hands shackled in their usual place. She had no idea why the room was being swept for listening devices, why there were CIA agents outside the door and why Agent Pearce wanted to see her. Her mind began to race but she refused to think the worst.

Agent Pearce walked into the room. She sat down at the table and started to speak, not wanting to keep Fiona waiting.

"Fiona, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but we don't know where Anson is. We know he's underground but don't know where. Without capturing Anson, there is no proof for your case. So when the case goes to trial, you would be tried for a terrorist attack. Most likely you'd be convicted and sentenced to death. You wouldn't be able to see Michael, unless there was glass between you both and you'll be lucky if you get three visits tops before you die."

Fiona started to cry. She thought for sure Michael would have caught Anson and brought him to justice, freeing her in the the process. She shouted "That can't be it! There has to be something else. This can't be how it ends!"

"I'm sorry Fiona. Michael would have come but he's not in any shape to do this. I need you to sign this paper. Read it carefully and once you understand everything about the process and what will happen to your body if you were die in prison, you can sign the paper."

* * *

_F,_

_Please sign the paper and follow what Pearce tells you to do. Don't ask any questions. Please do it for me. You went to prison to save me, now its my turn to save you. I will see you soon._

_M_

* * *

Fiona looked at Pearce and asked for a pen. With her hand shaking, she signed her name to the document. The document under Michael's brief note was a release for the prison to only use dental charts to identify the body.

"What's next? What do I do?" Fiona asked, trying to compose herself.

"There is going to be a fire in the prison. You get trapped in a closet by an inmate and they find your charred remains. Michael got me a set of your dental records which we will use to identify your body." Pearce explained.

Softening her tone, she continued "We will send in an extraction team to get you out. It will be fast and they'll tell you what to do as you go along. Do as they say and you'll be safe."

Fiona took a moment to process everything Pearce had told her. She leaned forward and asked in a soft tone "Am I going into the witness relocation program? Is Michael going with me?"

Pearce did not answer her questions. Instead she got up and said to Fiona "Trust the plan. Michael put a lot of thought into it and it will work." Pearce left Fiona sitting alone at the table, waiting for the guard to return her to her cell.

A few weeks later a new guard was assigned to Fiona's section. The guard at night would make rounds and pass by her cell, dropping brief notes as to what was going to happen and when. Fiona would then flush them down the toilet so they would not be found.

Finally, she had all the details of when the extraction team was coming for her and what was expected of herself during the extraction. Before she knew it, Fiona was out of prison and whisked off to an abandoned warehouse outside of Miami.

In the warehouse, there was a cot, some food, clothes and magazines. On top of the magazines, Fiona saw a note.

* * *

_F,_

_We are almost at the end. Please be patient and wait for me._

_M_

* * *

She spent a week in the warehouse. Mostly sleeping or making sure no one was coming for her to either take or to prison again or kill her. Finally at the end of the seventh day, She heard two sets of footsteps. Not sure who was coming, she grabbed a pipe that she kept nearby.

A familiar voice called out to her. "Fi? Fiona? Where are you?"

It was Michael. She ran out of the room she was in and saw Michael standing in the middle of the warehouse. She leapt into his arms and he spun her around while she kissed him.

"I hate to break up your reunion, but I am going to give you your new identities and information. Then I have to leave."

Fiona looked at Michael with shock. He could tell she was confused and not processing everything that had been happening. "Can I have a minute alone with her?"

Pearce shook her head and waved her hand. "Take all the time in the world. I haven't slept in three months, so let's just take a little more time."

Michael took Fiona's hand and took her into the first office he could find. He leaned on the desk in the room and now held both her hands. "Before you say anything, I know this a shock for you. I know this is moving fast..."

"Michael, everything is moving at light speed right now. I don't which end is up!"

Michael stopped speaking when he felt tears quickly come to his eyes. He closed his eyes and let the tears roll down his face. Taking a deep breath he spoke again. "I had to do this quickly or else I was afraid I'd lose you forever. I can't lose you forever."

"So you faked my death and put me in a relocation program?"

"This was the only way to get you out of prison. Everything else we did failed."

"So I am dead. What about you?" Fiona asked, putting her hand on Michael's cheek. It was so long since she touched cheek. He immediately tilted his hand and leaned into her caress.

"As far as anyone knows, you died in the fire. I became severely depressed, put a gun to my head and pulled the trigger. I had orders that if I was to die, I didn't want an autopsy."

Fiona's eyes filled with tears. "Does your mother know you aren't dead? What about Nate and Jesse? Sam?"

Michael shook his head at each name, stopping at Sam. "Sam is the only one who knows what we are doing. He 'found' my body in the loft. Sam will take care of my mom for me." Tears fell freely from Michael's eyes.

Fiona took Michael into her arms. It was the first embrace they shared since he left her alone in the loft all those months ago. He broke free from her arms and took her face in his hands.

"We have a chance at a real life together. Tell me you'll take the chance and just let it be you and me? I love you and need you by my side. I owe you a life free from what we've had up until now." Michael choked out.

"So all I had to do get you to say 'I love you' was to be imprisoned and face possible death?" Fiona said, laughing through her tears. "I've always been by your side and always will be."

Pearce called out from the other room. "Guys we are on a schedule, can we get back to taking care of business?"

Fiona and Michael took a moment and kissed. She took his hand and led him out of the office. They sat down with Pearce and she laid out the details of their new life together. Once everything was completed and they had their new identities, Pearce handed both of them envelopes. She said "I was told to give these to you both."

Michael opened his first and pulled out a large wad of cash. He read the letter inside.

* * *

_Brother,_

_I knew that someday we'd have to separate, but I always thought it'd be death that took one of us._

_I am glad that it's not death, but instead its Fiona. Protect and love that Irish girl and give her a life she deserves away from all this ugliness._

_Don't worry about mom. I'll take care of her._

_Someday we'll meet again. Don't know where, but we will. Until that day comes, I wish you and Fiona nothing but love and happiness._

_No one deserves a happy life more than you Brother._

_Sam_

* * *

Michael wiped away the tears from his eyes. "Open yours, I want to see what he said."

Fiona opened her envelope and pulled out another wad of cash. She read her letter out loud.

* * *

_Fi,_

_Dammit you little Irish wacko! I thought I'd be the one who got to run off with Mikey!_

_Wish I could have been there to be the first person, after you guys of course, to hold your babies and see them grow up. I won't get that privildge to be 'Uncle Sam' and I'll always be a little sad about that. Love your children as much as, if not more, than you do Mikey._

_Protect him as he has protected you. Keep him safe and sane. He has a good heart that loves you more than anything else in this world...even more than yogurt and me!_

_Stay safe sister and we'll meet up again soon._

_Love,_

_Sam_

_PS...I touched your snow-globes._

* * *

They hadn't realized that Pearce had left. Michael looked at Fiona and asked "Cassandra O'Conner, are you ready to go?"

"Robert O'Conner, you wouldn't believe how ready I am to get out of here." Fiona said, wiping her tear stained face.

Michael and Fiona walked toward the exit. Right before the door, Michael stopped and pulled two rings out of his pocket. He slipped an Asscher cut diamond engagement ring, followed by a simple silver wedding band on her hand.

"I know it's not as big as the one you had before on the mission and I promise someday we'll have a proper wedding ceremony..." Michael stammered.

"It could have come from a gumball machine and I wouldn't care. I love it. I don't need a wedding. Our souls have been married since we met. The only thing I need is you."

Michael pulled Fiona close to him and kissed her long and slow. He ended the kiss first and whispered into her ear "I love you." He felt her squeeze him even harder than she was already.

"Let's get out here. We have a new life to figure out. Together."

The two of them walked out into the bright sunlight and drove off to their new destination.


	2. Chapter 2

Michael and Fiona drove along the highway in the new pickup truck that Michael had bought. Fiona kept checking the side mirror to make sure they weren't being followed.

"Fi, stop checking the mirror. No one is coming for us. Its over."

"How do you know Anson won't hunt us down?"

"He won't. Our deaths were convincing and everyone's reactions will be enough for Anson to believe we are dead. Fi, it's over. We've lost but we've won."

Michael continued to drive. A few hours later they stopped at a supermarket and Michael went inside to get a few things. He came out with a four bags. He could tell Fiona was crying again. He put the bags in the back seat of the truck and walked around to her side. He opened her passenger door and wrapped his arms around her. He knew why she was crying.

"It's all going to work out. I know this is a lot to take in at once. I'm having trouble with this just as much as you are." Michael said, hoping to soothe Fiona. He broke their embrace and rubbed her arms. He realized that her arms were thinner than what he remembered.

"Michael, I've ruined your life. I've taken you away from everything you love. Your family and friends are all gone now. You have nothing now." Fiona said. Michael noticed how small she looked and how easily she cried lately.

He was trying his best to be strong for her. He swallowed the lump in his throat and looked into Fiona's eyes. "I have you. You are all I ever needed. Let's keep going. It'll get easier as we go along."

Michael wiped the tears from her face and kissed her. He walked around the car to the driver side and turned on the car. Before pulling out of his parking spot, he looked at Fiona and said "You know, it would have ended the same way for me no matter what. If I didn't push for new identities and have Pearce help get you out, you would have been executed and I would still put a bullet in my head. I have no life without you Fi. So if I have to give up my family, friends and job just to have you back, its all worth it."

Fiona shook her head to show she understood. She put her head back and closed her eyes. For the first time since she went to jail she fell into a deep sleep, feeling the safest at that moment than she had been in many months.

Fiona was awake after a few hours. When she woke up, she looked over and saw Michael. As she smiled at him and he smiled back at her, tears came to her eyes. This time she cried tears of happiness and relief. They were finally free.

They each took turns driving, Michael directed her to stay on the interstate and head north. They chatted mostly about things they saw on the highway, trying to avoid topics of their past. About eight o'clock that night, Michael found a hotel and they stopped for the night. Before they got out of the car, Michael said "Remember, I'm Robert and you are Cassandra."

"Michael we've had deep cover ID names before, this is no different." Fiona said with a smile as she walked into the hotel lobby, holding Michael's hand.

"How can I help you?" ask the clerk.

"We need a room for tonight." Michael said, putting his arm around Fiona.

"Ok, we have one. I just need some ID and a down payment."

Michael pulled out his new license and credit card and handed it over to the clerk. They quickly got their room keys, took their bags and went to their room.

Once in their room, Fiona exclaimed "All I want to do is shower. I need to wash this stench off of me. You could have at least stashed me in a place for a week that had a decent shower! I had to use the cold tap water in the bathrooms in the warehouse and there was no soap. Thank God the water was still on."

He began to unpack the bags from the market, while she got undressed for a shower. When he caught a glimpse of the bruises on her back, Fiona heard Michael whisper her name softly. He walked up to her and lightly skimmed his fingers over her bruises. Fiona remembered the day she got them.

_"Hey Criminal, I need to talk to you." Ayn said._

_Fiona walked over slowly. She was already mad at Ayn because of a fight they had in the kitchen earlier in the week. Fiona sent Ayn to the infirmary with various cuts and bruises._

_"What Ayn? I have better things to do than talk to you." Fiona spat out._

_She walked into the cell and leaned against the wall._

_"I just wanted to say how sorry I am that we got into that fight during the week." Bells were going off in Fiona's head. Ayn apologizing was not something she normally did._

_FIona uttered a simple 'thanks' and walked back into her own cell. No sooner did she walk in, did she get hit across the back with a pipe. She cried out in pain. Before she could turn around, someone grabbed her from behind and covered her mouth with duct tape. Fiona tried to fight, but she was exhausted from being sick earlier in the week. She was forced onto the floor of her cell and was pinned down by three other women. Ayn entered and began slamming a metal bar over and over into various parts of her back and legs._

_"This is what you get for putting me in the infirmary. You win a fight against me Criminal, I will hurt you ten times worse." Ayn whispered into Fiona's ear._

_Fiona tried to push up so she could get some leverage, or even get onto her back. The women held her tighter. As Ayn kept beating her with the pipe, Fiona tried her best not to cry. She went into her own head and remember the weekend that she was sick in bed with bronchitis. Michael sat by her bedside all weekend, making her eat soup, reading to her and even regaling her with plots to movies that he had seen without her. When she had a coughing fit, he would sit her up and steady her, rubbing her back until she could get her breath back. Even though it was a terrible weekend, it was also the best weekend because it was just the two of them in their own little world._

_Eventually Fiona blacked out, waking up in the infirmary later that day. She insisted she was fine and refused to rest there over night. She had to get back to her cell in case new plan information was delivered._

She was jarred from her memory by Michael asking "Do they hurt much?"

"Not as much as they used to. Hurt a lot when I was leaving prison because I was bouncing around so much."

Fiona felt obligated to explain how she got the bruises. "A few days before the team came for me, I was jumped by four women who held me face-down, each taking turns beating me. They really took me by surprise. I was trying to remember the plan to get out and I didn't pay attention to my surroundings. I couldn't move to defend myself. If I could have turned over, onto my back, I would have been able to get up, but I couldn't. There were four of them and I was so tired and weak, I couldn't get them off, so I just laid there praying it would end soon."

Michael turned her around so he was facing her. He kissed her forehead and wrapped his arms around her middle. He kissed her head right about her ear and whispered "I am so sorry."

Fiona left Michael's arms and walked into the bathroom. Michael followed.

"Can you help me take my pants off. I can't bend down easily. Its hurts my back. I don't know how I manage all that time in the warehouse with my sore back. It's getting better though." She admitted to Michael, hoping to make him feel better.

Michael saw Fiona close her eyes and fold her arms, almost as if she was ashamed to have Michael undress her. His heart broke for her. He had his Fiona back, but she was so unlike herself it was hurting him. He realized what prison had done to her. It had broken her.

As he took her pants off, he saw more bruises on her legs. He took a moment before standing up and tried his best to hide his sadness, horror and guilt that she had endured so much in prison. With a smile on his face, he helped her into the shower and waited outside the tub for her to finish. Once she was out, he wrapped her in a robe and helped her into bed. He would have showered also, but he was just as tired as Fiona, if not more. He undressed and climbed into bed, pulling Fiona as close to him as possible.

They both fell asleep quickly. Michael deeply inhaling her scent that he missed for so long and Fiona relishing the feeling of Michael's strong arms holding her tightly against him.


	3. Chapter 3

Michael woke up later than he had intended. He closed his eyes and opened them again, hoping he wasn't dreaming. When he saw Fiona's face in front of his, he smiled and gently caressed her cheek. Realizing it was nearing check-out time, he threw on his jeans and T-shirt from the day before and went down to the front desk.

"Mr. O'Conner, how can I help you today?" Asked the clerk behind the desk.

Michael wondered when he would get used to hearing people call him O'Conner. He read the clerks name tag "Chip, would it possible for my wife and I to stay another night? We just got married and frankly she is exhausted from all the preparation and excitement. I really don't have the heart to wake her."

"Not a problem sir. You both looked exhausted last night when you came here, so I blocked your room for another night, just in case you wanted more time."

Michael was surprised but relieved. He went back up to their room and found Fiona was awake. "Where did you go?"

Michael never answered. Instead he slid back into bed, pulling Fiona down with him so he was face to face with her. He kissed her deeply, slowly running his hands up and down her body, enjoying the sounds he heard her making. He didn't want to talk or think. He just wanted to give the love and attention Fiona deserved after many months of fighting and their agonizing separation. They spent the whole day entangled in one another's arms.

When nighttime came, Michael sat Fiona down. "Fi, we need to talk."

"Michael, I don't want to talk about what happened. I thought we agreed to only remember the good and not dwell on the past. Today has been the happiest I've seen you in a long time. Let's not ruin it."

"I agree and we aren't dwelling on the past. We need to talk about your hair. People know who you are with your long dark hair. All we need is one person to doubt us and we'll be running from the law. We either have to cut your hair or dye your hair. Your choice." Michael announced, holding out scissors and a box of red hair dye.

Fiona's eyes grew wide as she charged across the room, grabbing the box of hair dye. "Michael Westen, if you think for one minute that I am going to cut my hair, then you are insane. Maybe trim, yes, but I haven't cut it short since I was fourteen and that was only because Claire got gum stuck in it and my mother couldn't get it out. If I ever hear you utter the words 'cut your hair' come from your mouth ever again, they will be the last words you speak. Do you understand?"

"Do you need help?" he asked.

"No. I'll do it on my own. I'll see you when I'm done and then you can shower and take me out to dinner."

"Fair enough." Michael said, with a smile on his face. After all the tears and heartaches of the past few months, he had forgotten how good it felt to playfully spar with her. He laid down on the bed, staring at the ceiling, feeling relief knowing that they would be ok.

Over the next few days, Michael and Fiona drove North from Florida, stopping in little towns when they needed a rest. Fiona had been in most of the major cities in the states, but never had time to explore them. They enjoyed street fairs and carnivals. Occasionally they both felt pangs of paranoia, but realizing that there were no bullets, no threatening phone calls and no fights breaking out around them, they calmed down.

Each town they were in, they looked at houses to buy. They never could agree on a house, so they traveled onto the next town. Finally, while having lunch in a small town in Pennsylvania, Michael looked across the table at Fiona and saw how peaceful she looked while watching what was going on around her.

"This is the place Cassandra. This is going to be our new home."

Fiona, still getting used to their new names, asked "We've been in ten towns and none of the felt right. What makes this town so special Robert?"

"You"

"Me? I've been the same person I've always been in every town."

Michael leaned forward "No. This town is different. Right now, this moment, you look as beautiful as you did the night I met you at the Black Sand Pub. Relaxed, happy and..."

"Ready to kill you on a moments notice?"

They both laughed. Laughter was coming much easier theses days to both of them.

Fiona's look became dark and worried. "We don't have the money for a house. We have no jobs, so we can't afford mortgage payments. How exactly do you propose we buy this house?"

"I may have sold all of your weapons and supplies to Seymour. I told him you were killed in prison and I didn't want anything around that reminded me of you, so he bought everything. He bought my weapons and supplies too. Pearce helped me divert my CIA funds into other outlets so when we left, we would have money. We have enough money to buy a small house and live comfortably for a few years."

Michael noticed how quiet Fiona was after finding out he sold their belongings. He reached across the table and took hold of her hands. "It was the only way to sell my suicide. Everyone knew I was depressed and that I wasn't handling your death well. You know this was the only way."

Fiona sighed. "I know it was. I just spent so many years hiding my guns and weapons that it hurts to let them go. I hope Seymour gave you enough money for everything."

"He did. I spent the day with him hashing out prices and even had a few of his health smoothies while I was there." Michael grimaced at the thought of the smoothies he had to endure.

"How much did you get for my snow-globes?" Fiona asked softly.

Michael gently laughed and kissed her hand. "Nothing. Sam's going to pack up the snow-globes and keep them safe. Someday we'll try to get down to Florida to get them. I could never sell them."

Fiona smiled at Michael. "As long as the snow-globes are safe, I'm ok with you selling my stuff to Seymour. I know he'll give them a good home. I'm sure he's even happier you spent one of your last days with him drinking smoothies!"

They finished their meal and paid the bill. As the walked to the truck, Fiona asked "So Robert? Are you ready to buy me a house?"

With an Irish brogue, Michael answered "That I am Cassandra, that I am."


	4. Chapter 4

A/N...thanks to Noelle & Amanda for reading...Invisible_RainX too but she didn't read it yet because of the time difference :) Love you gals! Thanks to my Twitter gals too as well as PCC! You all inspire me so much!

* * *

Michael and Fiona looked at several houses before they found the perfect one. Their real-estate agent finally showed them a house, the last house he could think of, which no one had even considered buying for at least the past five years. He took them to see the house, but expected them to not like this one either.

"The house has been abandoned for the past five years. It needs some substantial work done to the walls and flooring. The electric and heating is up to code. Its just an old house that no one wants because of the work involved."

Michael and Fiona walked from room to room. The house had remnants of teenagers who partied in their over the years. The walls had holes in them and the floor was warped in places. After they had a few minutes to discuss the house and the work involved, the agent found them in the kitchen. Michael was sitting at the kitchen table, with Fiona in his lap.

"By the way you two are sitting here, it looks like you've made your decision on the house. You know its a lot of work." the agent reminded them.

"We've had experience in fixing things, so this home should be pretty easy to deal with." Michael said.

The agent looked at the couple in front of him and knew it was something more than just a desire to fix a house together. There was something more behind it and he was curious as to what drew them to the house. "I've had this house on the market for five years and no one has even looked at it. What made you buy this house?"

Fiona looked at him and answered simply "This is we see our future. This is where our children will come home after they are born and we will be carried out of the day we die. After everything being so wrong for so long, we are finally on a path that we actually see a happy ending."

With that being said, the agent left them alone for a few more minutes in the house before taking them back to the office to begin paperwork to purchase the house.

As soon as they were given the keys to the house, they began renovations. Starting with their bedroom first, then concentrating on the other rooms upstairs. Their first purchase was a bed. Michael just wanted to get a box spring and a mattress and put it on the floor, like he had in the loft. Fiona immediately put her foot down and said that she wanted a proper bed, with a frame and headboard. Michael didn't put up a fight and bought her what she wanted.

As soon as the upstairs renovations were completed, Fiona found out she was pregnant. Michael repaired what he could on his own, making the home safe for the baby. Furniture was ordered and the home was decorated. Their house was finally a home.

One day they were sitting on the couch, Michael rubbing Fiona's feet, he asked "What are we going to name the baby? If you want to name the baby Claire or after one of your brothers, I'm fine with the idea."

Fiona shifted on the couch, trying to get comfortable. She took a deep breath and played with the blanket that was covering her legs. "I was thinking if the baby is a girl, we can name her Fiona. If we have a boy, we can name him Michael."

Michael sat and thought for a moment, rubbing the beard that he grew so Fiona wouldn't feel so bad about dying her hair, asked "Are you sure you want to do that?"

"In public we are Robert and Cassandra. At home, we will be Mom and Dad. I want to have some sort of connection to our past. Something that will remind us of what we did and why did it."

Michael was quiet for a few minutes. Finally he said "You're right. We should remember where we came from and the sacrifices that were made."

Four months later, they had a baby girl. Her name was Fiona Danielle O'Conner, nicknamed Baby Fi. Her hair was as red as fire and her eyes as blue as the ocean. She was a very loud baby, often making her presence known in the middle of the night.

One night when Fiona couldn't get baby Fi to calm down, Michael went next door to the neighbors Mr. and Mrs. Gilchrest They were an elderly couple who they had made small talk with on several occasions.

"I'm sorry to bother you guys this late at night, but Cassandra can't get Baby Fi to calm down and we don't know what to do. We've tried rocking, walking, singing...nothing is working. Do you have any advice?" Michael was at his wits end.

"Certainly! I raised two babies of my own, so let's see what's going on with little Fi" Mrs. Gilchrest said walked across the yard with Michael and into their house.

She saw Fiona, with tears streaming down her face, sitting on the couch with the baby. "She won't stop crying."

Mrs. Gilchrest picked up Baby Fi and patted her back and walked her around the house. Miraculously in almost three minutes flat, the baby had calmed and was smiles. "You guys have what I call a 'walker'. My son was like that. Hated to be stationary, so I had to carry him all over the house. I don't go to sleep for about another two hours, you kids look exhausted. Why don't you go to bed and I'll get to know Baby Fi a little better?"

Michael and Fiona exchanged worried looks that parents often give one another. "Cassandra, go to bed. I'll stay up with Mrs Gilchrest."

Fiona wanted to argue, but she was exhausted. "I'll see you in a little bit." she said, kissing him on the cheek.

Once Fiona was upstairs, he moved into the living room where Mrs Gilchrest was rocking back and forth with Baby Fi. "Thank you for helping us Mrs Gilchrest. We have no family, so we have no idea what we are doing. We need all the help we can get." Michael said.

"Call me Donna. You kids have no family? That's so sad. Well, you have me and Paul. We are your family now. Everyone needs a family and you guys have us."

Michael was shocked. He was not used to people being so friendly and warm. "Why would you want us to be your family? You don't even know us."

Donna looked at Michael and smiled. "We want you to be your family because everyone needs a family. Even if they aren't blood, they can still love you as deeply. I do think though, that you guys are lonely, and you telling me you have no family just proves my point."

Patting Baby Fi on the back she added "As for knowing you, I know you are kind, quiet and gentle man. Cassandra is a loving mother, but a little shy. You kids get along fine, never heard a fight from your house. You are good people. Don't fight it, you are stuck with us."

Stuck they were. Two years later, when Fiona became pregnant with their second baby, a girl named Michaela, Donna and Paul helped them constantly with Baby Fi. Michaela was the exact opposite of her sister. She was a quiet baby who always looked to be deep in thougt.

When Fiona had complications with her third baby and was ordered to bed rest. They helped Michael cook, clean and chase after the babies. Finally Sam, their only son, was born two years after Michaela. Fiona would often refer to Sam as her 'busy baby'. She often spent her day running around the house, trying to keep Sam out of trouble. Whenever he got into trouble, he would just flash a big smile at his parents and all would be right with the world.

Holidays were spent either in their own home or over Donna and Paul's house, whom they affectionately called Gram and Pop-Pop. They attended school plays and all their birthday parties and were the best surrogate grandparents anyone could wish for.

One night, when Baby Fi was eighteen years old, Fiona woke up to an empty bed. She walked downstairs and found Michael sitting in front of the computer. "What are you doing up so late?"

Michael kept looking at the computer screen. "I had a dream about my Mom. She was sick and Sam was yelling at me that I should be by her side, not him. I kept explaining myself but he didn't care. Then I woke up and came down here."

Fiona stood behind him and wrapped her arms around him. "I miss her too. Do you think Sam would call you if something was really wrong?"

Michael shook his head.

"Why don't you look up her name and address and we'll see if she sold the house? Maybe Sam made her move into a retirement village." Fiona offered up as an option, hoping to soothe Michael's nerves.

Fiona's hopes were soon dashed as one of the links was Maddie's obituary. She wrapped her arms around Michael as tight she could while Michael cried. Looking at the computer, she read that Maddie died almost a year after they had left. "I'm so sorry Michael." was all she could say.

She pulled Michael away from the computer, helping him to the couch. He tried to talk through his tears. "Mom would have loved all the kids-Baby's fire and heart, Michaela's brains and wit, Sam's knack for getting in trouble by just opening his mouth-but fixing it with a smile. They are all so funny, too. She never even knew we had kids, Fi. Jesse doesn't know. Sam doesn't even know. Do you know how often I've wanted to call Sam or send him pictures of the kids? We took so much away from them and it killed my mother"

As Fiona tried to soothe Michael, Baby came home from working her job as a manager of a department store. She shouted as she walked through the front door, "Sorry I'm late, but the store was a mess and we couldn't leave until we had everything in order and to top it off, the jewelry count was off tonight..." Seeing her parents huddled together on the couch, both crying, sent a feeling of panic through Baby's bones. "What's wrong? Are Michaela and Sammy ok?"

Fiona wiped her face "Go wake up your brother and sister. Tell them we are meeting in the kitchen. Your Dad and I have somethings to tell you about."

"What are you doing Fi?" Michael asked.

"We have to tell them tonight about our past. Baby can't just walk in and see us on the couch sobbing in one another's arms. For over eighteen years we've carried this burden and now its time they know what we whisper about, what we fight about and what we cry about. They need to know where we started and everything we sacrificed for them. They need to know how much it's killed us to do this alone and not have our family in Miami to help us at all. It's time."

Michael nodded in agreement, knowing Fiona was right. "Let's do it."


	5. Chapter 5

"Are you sure you want to do this? Once we tell them we can't go back. You think our son will keep our secret?" Michael asked Fi as she brewed a pot of tea for the children.

"We have to and we always said we would tell them when they were old enough. Give Sam more credit. He has plenty of big secrets that you don't know about." Fiona said.

"Like what?"

Fiona was going to explain but thankfully the children arrived. Seeing them all gathered at the kitchen table made Fiona smile. She was always happiest when all the children were home together.

"Mom, it's after one in the morning. This couldn't wait until we got up? I just got to sleep a little bit ago." Sam whined. Fiona placed a mug of tea and a plate of cookies in front of him. "As long as there are cookies involved I'll do anything you want."

"Is this about why I saw you guys crying on the couch?" Baby asked. She turned to her siblings and said "I walked in the front door and they were both crying."

"It is. We've kept a secret from you guys for far too long and its time you know the truth." Fiona said. "Where do we start?"

Michael, who was sitting on the kitchen counter, hopped down and sat down in his kitchen chair. "We'll start at the beginning Fi. Start from Ireland and take them up until we came to the house."

Baby Fi looked at Michael and said "Dad, I don't know the story. You guys know the story."

Fiona ran her hands through her hair. Eighteen years after leaving Miami, she had been many different hair colors, but never cut her hair except for an occasional trim. The past few years she returned to her natural color which also included a few gray hairs. She blurted out "My name isn't Cassandra and Dad's isn't Robert."

"What are your names, John and Mary?" asked Michaela, who at sixteen looked like a young version of Fiona.

Michael took a moment and said "No, I'm Michael and Mom is Fiona. That's how you girls got your names. We wanted to have some sort of connection to our past."

Michael watched his children stare at him with confusion. "Once you hear the whole story, this will all make sense."

Fiona went on further. "I always told you the story that Dad met me in a pub in New York City."

Sam chimed in. "We've heard the story hundreds of times. Dad asked you to dance and you pulled a gun on him. He said..."

All of their children repeated Michael's answer "I assume that means yes."

Everyone laughed. She continued the story. "What you don't know was that it happened in Ireland. I lived in Ireland before I came to the States. I grew up there, I had five brothers and a sister named Claire. She died young. I don't know how my brothers are doing."

Michael knew Michaela was trying to piece everything together and jump ahead of the story, "What's your question Michaela? I know you got one."

"Mom, growing up in Ireland, were you part of the IRA?" she asked, playing with the napkin in front of her.

Fiona took a sip of her tea. She always dreaded the thought her children would know of the things that she did in her past. "I was. I did things in my youth that I am not proud of. Your father met me because of what I was involved with at the time. He needed my help on a case and I helped him."

Baby began to laugh. "You make it sound like Dad was in the CIA!"

Michael and Fiona looked at one another and smiled Baby gasped. "Oh my God! Dad was in the CIA? Are you serious? Are you guys spies?"

Rubbing his face, Michael answered "I was, your mom wasn't. I pretended to be Irish and used the cover name Michael McBride. I got close to Mom to get information but I ended up falling in love with her. We were...involved...and during the night, I had to leave her because my cover was blown. I hated leaving her." Michael said, with old feelings of guilt that he thought he had long ago put aside, rising up into his throat.

"He disappeared into the night, without a single word. I was so heartbroken, confused and angry. Then a few years later when I was living in New York, I got a call from a hotel saying that you father had been dumped there and he had been unconscious for a while. I was his emergency contact after all those years, so I hopped on a plane and made my way to Miami." Fiona explained, not making eye contact with anyone and rolling her tea mug between her hands.

"Why Miami?" Sam asked. "Dad's from Pennsylvania. Wouldn't the CIA drop him someplace closer to home?"

Michael and Fiona were both quiet. Baby, being the one who tended to get more angry over things, slammed her hand on the table. "Dad's not from Pennsylvania is he? Is anything that you've told us while we were growing up true?"

Michaela who was usually quiet and reasonable, shouted at her sister. "Instead of getting all angry at them, maybe you should let them finish. There has to be a reason they told us so many lies."

Sam, who hated to be woken up for anything, interrupted his sister's bickering by yelling "I agree with Michaela. If they woke us up at night, it must be pretty big so sit down and shut up."

Before they had a full scale war on their hands, Michael yelled out "Enough! The three of you be quiet. I was dropped in Miami after the CIA cut me off, because that's where I am from. They call it "burning". I was a burned spy and I had no clue why. Your mom..and two really good guys who I loved like brothers and sometimes my brother Nate...helped me put the pieces back together." Michael said, feeling more old emotions break their way through.

"So they fired you?" Michaela asked.

Michael found Michaela to of the easiest of the children to talk to because she was a lot like him. He looked her in the eyes and said "Think about it. Spies have a very specific skill set. If you didn't want him working anymore, wouldn't you want to totally cut him off from using his skills so he is useless? Most spies who get burned are expected to either get fed up and stop trying to find what burned them, get killed or kill themselves. I didn't do any of those. Your mom helped me find the people that burned me."

Baby, who even though was prone to fits of anger, was often quick to calm down. "So you find who burned you. What happened?"

"A bad bad man named Anson Fullerton burned me. He was trying to organize a group to do various tasks for the highest bidder. No rules. However you needed to do the mission, you could do it. It was a group that if had become as big as he had hoped, it would have hurt a lot of innocent people. He burned me, so I essentially would have to work with him and got mad that I didn't want to help him. He thought that the 'no rules' idea would have appealed to me." Michael explained, not wanting to go into great details since the children were young and already they have been given a lot of information.

The children laughed. "Imagine Dad with no rules. I think he'd go insane without rules and order." Sam said. Even Fiona laughed.

"Yes, your father does love his rules." Fiona added. "Back to the story. Anson was really mad that Dad wouldn't join him, so he decided to make our lives a living hell." She stopped for a moment to wipe tears from her eyes. Inside she cursed at herself for letting the past still affect her so much. "He framed me for a crime I didn't commit. He used the fact that he knew about what I did to get Dad to work for him. He was blackmailed into doing a lot of bad stuff and he just kept getting dragged down deeper and deeper into the muck that Anson lived in. So, after many intense fights with your father, I turned myself in to the authorities. Dad was free from the bad guy and I was happy knowing that it was over. I was in jail but I figured your dad would find a way to get me out."

The room was quiet, except for the sound of Michael inhaling, trying to get enough air into his lungs so he could talk. "I couldn't get her out of jail. I tried every method I could, legal and illegal, but nothing worked. Finally, I went to a friend and we figured out a way to get Mom out of jail."

Baby and Michaela asked at the same time "How did you get Mom out of prison?"

Neither answered. Having to dredge up old memories was harder than either of them thought. Michael pushed past them and explained further. "We faked our deaths and went into hiding. Mom died in a prison fire. I killed myself. When Mom died in the fire, we got her out of prison and put her into a place to hide until I came for her. Then the records will show I killed myself a week later. I couldn't get her out of prison and I couldn't leave her there forever because I can't live without her. I left behind my mother, Madeline, my brother, Nate and my two best friends, Sam and Jesse. Sam is the only one who knows we are alive. He helped us get out." Michael was trying his hardest not to cry in front of the children, but when Fiona, Michael and Sam gave Michael a hug, he let some tears falls silently.

Baby sat at the other end of the kitchen table, stone faced like her mother and father could be at times. Finally she spoke. "Mom and Dad there's a problem. It could be nothing, but, I don't know...never mind."

Fiona and Michael always taught the children to be aware of their surroundings and if something didn't feel right, their feelings were correct.

"What's wrong Baby?" Fiona asked.

Baby elaborated on what was bothering her. "There's this new psych counselor at school. You know guidance counselors deal with our academics, but this new counselor is there if we have any issues like family or friends that we need to discuss. I met with him. His name is Anderson Fuller. When I told him about Michaela and Sam, he wanted to know more about you guys. I found him creepy and told him that Mom is from New York and Dad is from Pennsylvania, which at the time I knew was true. He asked a lot about your jobs. The bell rang so I had to go. He wants to stop in again during study hall on Monday."

Fiona got up and ran to her bedroom and pulled out a photo album she had tucked away in the corner of her closet. She had saved clippings from before they went into hiding and every so often she would pull the book out when the house was empty. She ran back into the kitchen, slamming the album down on the table. She found a clear picture of Anson and asked in a stern tone "Is this your counselor?"

Baby took a long look at the picture. "Yup, that's him. Hair is white now, but I know the eyes and face."

Fiona took the book, holding it firmly to her chest. Tears coming to her eyes she whispered "He's back. He'll be coming for us and our kids. What are we going to do Michael?"

Michael sat for a moment, holding onto his youngest daughter and son. "We'll get into the school tomorrow and look around. If Baby is right and it's Anson, we'll send the kids to Florida. We'll call as soon as we find out and you guys go as soon as we tell you. They need to find Sam. I don't have his number and I don't know where he is but I know he is still in Miami. Baby, you are in charge of of your siblings and getting Sam to this house. Come with me, I need to get you ready for this." He stood up and grabbed Baby's arm, walking off with her.

"Fi, get the kids back to bed and then find them reservations for a plane for later tomorrow and the keys to the loft." Michael shouted behind him, leaving the rest of his family in the kitchen.


	6. Chapter 6

Michael spent the next few hours training Baby on hand to hand combat and simple but effective defensive moves. When they were done, Michael helped Baby clean her gun. From a young age the children were trained in using guns and gun safety. Baby, when she turned eighteen, had a choice between a car or her own handgun as a present, she chose a handgun. Michael and Fiona were secretly proud as Baby was taking after her parents.

While they were cleaning their guns, Fiona walked into the garage. She smiled at the sight of them working side by side. "Tickets are booked. Baby, you guys are leaving at eight this morning. It's three a.m. We should get going and poke around the school and see if Baby is right. Once we know, we need to get them out of the house as soon as possible to try and find Sam."

"What if I can't get him to come with us? Are we royally screwed?"

Fiona sighed. "She's right Michael. It's been a lifetime. He might not even believe her."

Michael took the ladder out and climbed up to a shelf that Fiona never thought they would use. He pulled out a photo album. "I brought this with me when I left Florida. If he doesn't believe you, tell him that I met him in Poland in 1992. Mention the name Dead Larry. Offer to buy him a Mojito. Tell him most of my scars are from injuries that he had to sew up because he was a field medic. Tell him I still eat blueberry yogurt. Tell him he called your Mom by the name Tinkerbell. Show him this photo album."

Fiona broke into the conversation. "Tell him that I am sorry I never got to say goodbye, that I wished he was the first one to hold you kids right after you were born and that my snowglobes better be safe."

Fiona stood up and handed the letters to Baby that Sam wrote years ago when Mike and Fiona left. "Give him these. If you lose them, I will kill you."

"What did I tell you?" Michael asked. Many years ago, Michael realized Baby had a photographic memory. Each day he would have her quickly memorize random things or quickly memorize a picture. Michaela was more logical of the children. Michael would give her situations and have her work out how she would solve the problem. Sam was good with his hands, so Michael always had him building or fixing things.

"Dad, that's easy. Poland, 1992, Dead Larry, Mojito, scars, field medic, blueberry yogurt, Tinkerbell, goodbye, babies, snowglobes." Baby recited with ease. Giving her parents a hug and a kiss, she headed off to bed.

"I can do this, right?" She said, turning back around.

Michael took his daughter into his arms. "You are like your mother. You are full of fire, temperamental and you are the toughest. Have faith in yourself, go easy on your siblings and treat them as equals while you are away. Axe will be tough on you but don't give up. If I didn't think you kids would be OK, I wouldn't even let you do this." Giving her a kiss on the head, he said "You will be OK."

Fiona and Michael watched as their eldest walked away. She ran back in and gave her parents another hug. "If you are going to sneak into the school, you might want to use a window. Fullers office is by the flag pole with the mascot in front of it. The halls have cameras but the offices don't."

"I don't even want to know how you know this." Fiona said. Baby simply smiled and kissed her mom goodnight.

" We need to get to work Fi. We don't have much time if they have an 8am flight."

Michael and Fiona packed a camera and their guns. They arrived at the school and parked their car. Making their way to Anson's office by creeping along the outside, they noticed another car pull up alongside theirs. They saw a man get out of the car. Immediately Michael felt his blood boil. "That's Anson. Even after all these years I'd know him anyplace."

Fiona pulled out her phone and called Baby. "Wake the others up, pack light and get to the airport."

"What's our next move?" Fiona asked Michael as she ended the call.

Watching Anson enter the building, he said "We get to work on defending our home. I have a feeling Anson will be stopping by eventually. Hopefully the kids will be back with Sam by then."

* * *

"Sam, for the hundredth time, get your bag and get down here!" Baby shouted. "Lets Leave without him. That will teach him a lesson." she muttered.

"You know we need him. Just relax and it will be fine." Michaela said, putting her black curly hair into. A ponytail.

Sam finally emerged from his room. At fourteen, he was already taller than his mother and sisters, only being a tiny bit shorter than Michael. He brushed his shaggy black hair from his face and declared he was finally ready.

As they walked out the front door towards the driveway, Baby turned around and said "Any of you give me any trouble, I will rain hellfire down upon your bottoms when we get home. If I say we go then we go. No questions asked. Do as I tell you."

The three children drove to the airport, making idle chatter about the latest school gossip. None of them wanted to admit to the others that they were nervous.

Once they were on the plane, Michaela asked Baby "How will we know Sam?"

"I have a few places to look. Dad gave me a photo album. It has pictures of Mom, Dad and other people. I will show you Sam's picture once we land." Baby paused for a moment. "The album is weird. In the albums we have at home, Mom took all these pictures of us doing normal family stuff. This album had pictures of storage lockers, guns, buildings, pictures of wounds and disguises. Not your normal stuff."

Sam, who was eating a sandwich he bought, asked "Has anything we've heard in the past 24 hours seemed normal? Dad was crying while thinking about when Mom went to prison. This whole weekend has been insane."

Michaela looked out the airplane window. "Dad was so sad. I don't like seeing him like that."

"Guys, that's why we have to work together as a team to find Sam axe. Mom and Dad need him. We can't go home until we find him. They were a team before and we will make them a team again, whether Axe likes it or not."


	7. Chapter 7

Sam Axe sat at his favorite outside table at Francesca's. He was looking off into the distance when he saw three teenagers being seated not far from him. One girl had big brown fashionable sunglasses that complemented her fire red hair and was wearing a loose fitting silk dress. The other girl had on jeans and a pink polo shirt, with her black hair pulled into a messy bun. Her glasses were also brown, but not as bulky as her dining companion. The boy in the group had on a t-shirt and shorts, which were a Hawaiian print. All of them had very strong and chiseled facial features.

_Geez, I need to stop drinking. Those kids look like they could be Mike and Fi's kids._

Feeling like he knew the children, but he didn't know from where, he watched them. He picked up his paper, pretending to read, but was really listening to the teen's discussion.

"Fi, Are sure this is the address Dad gave you?" the boy asked.

The redhead replied "No Sam, I made the address up. I thought it'd be great if we could fly all the way from Pennsylvania to eat at a place we could have found in Philly."

_Ok, pure coincidence that those kids are name Fi and Sam._

"Enough!" shouted the black haired girl. "Look, we'll ask around about the history of this place. Someone here has to know about Carlito's and maybe they'll be able to point us in his direction."

"Michaela, here's a thought...the key to the gate didn't work. Why don't we just bust through the gate with the rental car? Maybe inside that loft we can find a way to locate this guy. Mom and Dad will understand the rental car damage as long as we get him back to the house. We have to get him today so he is on the plane with us tomorrow morning. You agree?" asked the red haired girl.

_Fi, Sam AND Michaela? How would those kids know about Carlito's? How would they know about the loft? I have to talk more to these kids. _

Sam got up and walked over to the table. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to interrupt but I heard you kids talking about Carlito's. This place used to be Carlito's until five years ago when he sold and moved away. Why are you kids asking about Carlito's?"

"Who are you?" Baby asked.

"Oh, sorry! I'm Chuck Finley. Lived here since the early 2000's."

Michaela sighed. "We're asking about Carlito's because we need to find someone. His name is Sam Axe and our father said Sam was a regular here."

Baby smiled broadly. Holding up her hand to her siblings, signaling them to be quiet, she leaned forward and said with a smile, "Did you get whacked upside the head and forget your name is Sam Axe?"

Sam leaned back in his chair. "Little girl, I don't know what your game is but my name is Chuck. I'm sorry I can't help you." He got up and began to talk away.

_Crap! How do they know I'm Sam Axe? Has to be Anson. Every few months he'll send someone along to try and get info from me to see if I know where they are. I bet they were hired by Anson. _

Baby shouted "Get back here Axe. I'm not done."

Sam walked back and grabbed Baby by the arm and locked eyes with her. "Who do you think you are telling me to come back here."

_Damn! This girl has Michael's death stare. She didn't even flinch when I grabbed her. No. I don't believe it. These are not their kids. Has to be a joke._

In a angry whisper Baby said "I'm Michael Westen and Fiona Glenanne's daughter. They need your help so you better stop playing games and man up because we don't have time to waste."

_No. They were sent by Anson. Time to see what these kids know._

"You guys know where the loft is located. I heard you talking about it. Meet me there in an hour." Sam said. He got up and walked away.

An hour later the kids all walked into the loft. "This Mom and Dad lived? Its so..."

"Dark, dusty, depressing, dank, musty...creepy." Michaela finished the sentence her brother had started.

"This looks exactly like the basement." Baby muttered.

_Ok, I have to be tough on the kids. The redhead dresses and walks around like Fiona, the black haired girl is leaning against the workbench like Mikey would. The boy reminds me of Michael when I first met him in Poland. Can't be their kids. Good actors though. _

"What are your names or should I just refer to you by your hair color?" Sam said.

Baby pointed to each of them saying their age. "I am Fiona, but everyone calls me Baby. I am 18. She is Michaela, 16. The boy is Samuel or Sam and he is 14."

Sam pointed to himself. "I am Sam Axe. You've been looking for me. Who sent you?"

"We told you! Our parents are Michael and Fiona. We were sent to find you and tell you..." explained Michaela in an annoyed tone.

"Anson Fullerton is working at our school. When he found out my siblings' names, he started asking about Mom and Dad" Baby finished.

_There you kids go. Drop his name into a conversation. Anson is truly slick. _

"Mikey and Fi can defend themselves fine. They got along fine this long without me, they can keep on the same course and be fine."

"Dad said you'd be a hard sell. Why don't you believe us?" younger Sam asked.

"Because Anson sent you. Go back and tell him that I don't know where they are and even if I did I wouldn't tell him! He really has nerve sending three kids." Sam shouted.

Michaela kept her cool. "Mr. Axe, Anson didn't send us. How can we prove it?"

"Tell me something about your Dad." Sam answered in a calmer tone.

_Let's see what Anson fed them about Mikey and Fi. _

Baby sat down on the bed that was still on the floor. She ran her hand over the sheets, wondering if this was the same bed her parents shared. In a detached tone Baby rattled off the list Michael gave her. "You met him in Poland in 1992. You hate a guy named Dead Larry. If I was twenty one I could buy you a Mojito. Most of Dad's scars are from injuries that you had to sew up because you were a field medic. Dad still eats blueberry yogurt every damn day."

"Common knowledge that Anson would have known. All those things can be found in files or just watching us when we were together. What else you got? " Sam was trying hard to be tough on them, but they were calm.

Younger Sam got up and walked over to Baby's backpack. He pulled out the photo album and handed it to Sam. "Dad kept this hidden. He said when he left Florida with Mom, this was one of the few reminders he was able to grab."

_So this is what happened to the album. I thought maybe he hid it and I never found it. No. Even though there is no way Anson would know about this, unless he did find Mike and took the album as a souvenir._

Sam leafed through the album. He remembered the album and even when the pictures were taken. He didn't say anything as he closed the album. He looked over at the kids standing around just as Mike, Fiona and himself would have while trying to figure out a problem.

Michaela finally had enough. She said to her siblings "We have to cut our losses. We told him everything we could and even gave him proof. He doesn't believe us. We have to get home. Mom and Dad need us."

Baby shook her head, tears pouring out of her eyes. "No. We aren't ending it this way. He is coming with us whether he likes it or not. He needs to help us."

"He's not going to help us. We are alone. This was our one chance to get help and we lost it. There is no other way. We have to get home! We have to protect the family." Michaela was crying as she yelled at her older sister.

Baby shouted back at her sister. "Do not yell at me! Our job is to take him back to Pennsylvania and we will. This isn't over! It can't be over, I won't let it be over."

_They sound like Mike and Fi arguing. _

Baby walked up to Sam who was leaning against the kitchen counter. She started to hit him. Sam didn't react. "You want more proof? You and Mom didn't like one another when Dad came to Miami because you ruined a deal for her. You and mom engineered a plan to get dad away from Anson and it backfired. Dad watched mom get arrested and you found him on a side street in his car with a note from Mom in one hand and his gun in the other. He had breakdown after breakdown and you were there to pick him up each time. Mom said you wrote letters to them and gave them money when they left. You regretted not being able to hold us when we were born. You kept her snow-globes. I read the letters you wrote them. If you were really his brother you would come and help him." Baby was crying so hard she couldn't speak anymore.

Younger Sam wrapped his arms around his sister and pulled her away from Sam. He brushed the hair from her face and and wiped the tears from her eyes. "We had a way out of this, but it's gone. Time to regroup and come up with another plan. You are our leader and you need to get your head back in the game. So start thinking of what our next move is and tell me and Michaela what we need to do. If you want to take a few punches on me, go for it, but we're done with him."

_Wow. That's something I would have told Mikey when he was being an ass and not thinking_.

Everyone in the loft was silent.

Sam was the first to break the silence. "There was no way you would have known that unless Michael Westen told that to you. I'll help you guys. Let me make a few calls, have my son come to help us and we'll get to work. We can't fly though, so Baby is going to cash in her tickets and we'll drive my truck up to Pennsylvania."

"Samuel, call your parents, tell them Disney is great, Baby is dressed up like Tinkerbell and you guys will be delayed about a day. Hopefully that will let them know you kids are ok and you found me." Sam ordered.

As he barked orders, the girls rushed him and wrapped their arms around him. Each gave him a kiss on the cheek, telling him "Thank you" over and over, while Samuel got to work as Sam instructed him.

_Oh man...Don't cry Sam. SEALS don't cry. I have both of Fiona's and Mike's girls giving me hugs and kisses for helping them and all I can think about is how much I must have missed of their life. _


	8. Chapter 8

It was three in the morning. Sam was sleeping on the floor. He heard movement, so he woke up and saw that Michaela was awake and sitting on the balcony. He saw that she was on her phone.

"Hope you aren't calling anyone at this hour." Sam joked.

"No. Just looking at pictures of home. Baby can't wait to travel, while I am perfectly content at home. My brother is happy as long as he is fed and well rested. Kind of like a dog." Michaela said, causing Sam to laugh.

"Can I see your pictures?" Sam asked, holding out his hand.

Michaela motioned for Sam to sit next to her. "Sit and I'll show you. "

They sat for the next few minutes looking at pictures. Sam saw various pictures of the kids doing goofy things. He saw the house that Michael and Fiona had renovated from top to bottom in their time there. When Michaela came to a picture of Michael and Fiona, he made her stop.

"That's them? That's your parents?" Sam asked nervously.

Michaela looked at the picture of Michael sitting on the kitchen chair, with Fiona on his lap. His arms were wrapped around her. "I took that on Dad's birthday. I think that's my favorite picture of them."

"He has a beard and he's a lot grayer than what I remember. Your mom looks exactly as I remember her. She's so beautiful. Are they happy? I mean with one another?"

Michaela sighed. "Madly in love. They always laugh about stuff and I swear we are always walking in on them kissing. They hardly fight and if they do, one of them gives in quickly to end it. Mom said they fought enough before we came along. They had one massive drag out fight that broke her heart because Dad got emotional during the fight. It ended badly and she vowed to not fight with him again."

"I know what the fight was about." Baby added to the conversation, who got up and walked out to the balcony sitting on the other side of Sam. "It was part of their history and she thought I should know before we all left. She wanted to go to the FBI and tell them then that she had planted a bomb and it went off. Dad begged her not to do it. She wanted to tell them all about this Anson guy and he still refused to let her go. She said that Dad was just real emotional over the whole situation. He chained her to the chain link fence inside the loft. He came back and she was gone."

Sam ran his hands through his white hair. "Do you know the rest of the story?"

Baby shook her head. "No, Dad interrupted us. She dropped the topic as soon as she knew he was in the room."

Sam took a drink from his beer bottle that he had been nursing all night. "Your mom and I came up with this plan. In theory it sounded like a slam dunk. Mom admits to the crime, we free your Dad from Anson and bring him down. So I helped her out of the handcuffs he used to chain her to the fence and she chained me up. We made it look like I was tricked into letting her out. I even got hit in the head by a empty beer bottle, so we could make it look authentic. Once Dad had a chance to think, he realized it was planned from the start. He was so mad but he got over it. The more we chased Anson, the deeper underground he went. It finally got to the point where it looked like your mother was going to be going to trial, so we came up with a plan to get her out of jail and the hell away from Florida."

"Mom's death in prison and Dad's suicide." Michaela said, in a sad voice.

Sam put his arm around Michaela. "It turned out good though. They seem to have a nice life with you kids. Did you kids have a happy childhood? Your parent's had tough upbringings."

Baby answered while yawning. "Mom is tough on us. She expects the most from me, because I'm the oldest. We have chores and all the normal stuff. If we get less than a B on our report cards, she freaks out on us. She won't give you an inch. Dad is the pushover. Give him a hug and a kiss and he's putty in your hands."

Younger Sam who was still laying in bed said "They really are good parents. We are always laughing about something. Dad said that growing up he never really had a lot of laughter, so he likes it when we all laugh. Means he's in a happy house."

"What do you kids do with your free time?" Elder Sam asked

Younger Sam answered loudly "Board games. You name a board game and we have it. Dad loves a good board game. Especially Monopoly. We would play for Monopoly for days until Mom got annoyed that we still didn't finish and she would put the game away."

"If we weren't playing games, we were reading. Mom taught us all how to cook and Michaela and I knit." Baby added. "We all are good with tools and woodworking."

Michaela twisted her arm to show Sam a big scar on the underside of her arm. "I'm an expert archer. I got this scar when I first started archery and moved my arm the wrong way." She smiled proudly. "I'm on the high school archery team."

"They constantly have us working out and learning martial arts. We all have black belts in Karate. I am on the softball team and Sam is on the track team." Baby said.

Imitating a voice that sound like Michael, younger Sam said "If we aren't thinking then we should be doing something constructive." The children laughed, which made Sam smile.

"How about you? Married? You said you have a son. How old is he?" asked Michaela.

Sam pulled his phone out. "This is Kyle. He is 18. Works as a mechanic for a friend of mine. His mom and I got married when we were older and we wanted a child so we adopted him." Sam felt tears invading his eyes. He quickly wiped them away. "Elsa and I had sixteen beautiful years of marriage before she passed away. After your parents left she helped me through a lot."

"You should call our parents. They would love to hear from you!" Michaela said gently.

Baby became very excited, bouncing up and down. "Totally! Call them Sam! They would be over the moon with happiness to hear from you."

"Guys, its almost four in the morning. I'm sure they can wait another day to see me in person. I don't think they missed me as much as I missed them anyway. Get to bed, I'm getting everyone up at five in the morning so we can pick up my son start driving."

* * *

Michael and Fiona laid in bed. Neither were sleeping. Fiona rolled over and looked at Michael. "Stop worrying. The kids have Sam, they are bringing him back here and we'll fight Anson."

"The house is so quiet without them. At least one of them is always roaming the halls at this hour. Its weird not to hear them." Michael said quietly.

Fiona sat up. "I know. I wonder where they are tonight. Samuel didn't say much when he called. Do you think Sam is sleeping near them?"

Michael sighed. "I hope so. Baby can handle herself fine. Samuel won't let anyone hassle his sisters. Michaela is the one I worry about."

"Why Michaela? She is well trained in Martial Arts." Fiona said, hoping to calm Michael's worries.

Michael sat up in bed and moved behind Fiona, wrapping his arms around her. "I know but she's also the one who is most innocent of them all. She thinks everyone in the world is good. I guess its because Baby always protected her and would break your arm if you looked at Michaela wrong. I don't think there is evil in Michaela's world."

"There is bad in her life, but she doesn't let it bother her. Baby gets angry or cries when bad stuff happens. Samuel hammers something in the basement or goes to the batting cages. Michaela takes it in but she doesn't show. She just simply lets go of it. They will all be fine. Our children are with Sam and they are all smart children. They are a team and they have each other's backs."

Planting small kisses on Fiona's neck, he whispered "I know you are right. I just worry."

A small moan escaped from Fiona's lips. She mumbled "What else has you worried?"

Michael stopped lavishing attention on her neck and pulled her into his lap so she was facing him. "Sam. What if he's not the same?"

"Are we the same people we were when we left Miami" she asked.

"I like to think so. You kept me the same except for small adjustments we had to make because of the kids and living out here, but I'm still the same man you fell in love with in Miami." Michael answered in a sad soft voice that reminded Fiona of Michaela's voice.

Taking his face in her hands, she kissed him. "You are wrong."

Michael gave Fiona a surprised look. "What am I wrong about? We've always been the same couple we started out as."

"Sam will be the same Sam we remember, but with certain adjustments made because its eighteen years later. We are the same people, I agree." Kissing Michael's forehead and pulling him closer her chest, she said "You are wrong about when I fell in love with you. It was Ireland. Even when you left me in Ireland, I still loved you. Stop worrying about things and get to sleep."

Michael did not want to sleep though. His worries about the children and Sam would have to wait. Realizing he had an empty house and Fiona all to himself, he had one thing on his mind and together they greeted the morning in their own special way.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N...Thanks to WritePassion & Amanda Hawthorne for reading this for me! Love to Noelle-my sister 3 Love to all my Twitter gals who make me laugh :) Love you all!

* * *

Michael and Fiona were preparing their house when they heard a familiar voice echoing through the house. They froze in their tracks while they tried to figure out what to do next.

"Rob? Robbie? Robster? Anyone home?" yelled out Michael's friend Carter. Carter and Deborah had become very good friends to Michael and Fiona. Baby and their daughter Noelle had become best friends in kindergarten and were as close as sisters as they neared high school graduation. Carter took in Michael as a bartender at his pub in town, eventually making him a partner.

He walked into the living room and found Michael and Fiona cleaning guns. Seeing a few piles of ammo, he said "I'm not going to ask what all this is. Actually, I don't want to know because I think some of those weapons are illegal."

"You are better off not knowing. What's up?" Michael asked.

Carter sat down on the couch. He looked to be fairly shaken. "We've been best friends since the girls were little and I thought I knew everything about you guys. There wasn't much to know, but whatever it was, I knew it."

Fiona moved over to the couch and sat down next to Carter. "You do know everything about us. We haven't lied to you."

"Then why did some guy named Anderson Fuller come to the house this morning and show me pictures of you guys from more than eighteen years ago?" Carter asked.

Pointing at Michael, Carter told them what else was said. "He said your name is Michael Westen and you worked for the CIA doing some pretty heavy stuff." Carter then pointed to Fiona. "He said your name is Fiona Glenanne and you were with the IRA and bombed a building in Miami, which killed three people."

Carter pulled out pictures and threw them on the table. "He gave me these pictures to keep. He wanted to give me to give you both a message. He said he's coming and you better be ready. What the hell is going on?"

Michael sat on the coffee table across from Carter. "Take Deborah and Noelle and go on a trip. Don't tell anyone where you are going. When it's safe I'll get in contact with you on your cell phone."

"I sent the girls away as soon as he left. I wanted to talk to you without them here. Is any of what he said true? He told me a wild story that Cassandra was reported to have died in a jail fire and you were to have killed yourself in Miami but it was all fake just so you could escape." Carter said.

"I can't keep it from you anymore. Its true. You have the proof in front of you. His real name is Anson Fullerton. Not everything he was was true though. I'll explain it to you later, but I have bigger problems right now. Did you tell him anything?" Michael asked.

Carter shook his head. "No. He tried to trick me all sorts of ways but I didn't tell him anything. I don't rat out my friends."

Fiona smiled and said "Thank you. You should go and be with your girls. We'll see you guys when this is done."

"I think I'm going to stay and help you guys. I'm a good ten years younger than you both, so I think I could be an asset." Carter said while wandering around the living room.

"Carter...the girls..." Michael tried to reason his friend.

Carter interrupted Michael. "You think you are the only one who has ever bashed in a few heads in their time? I used eat snakes like him for breakfast in my youth. I can help you."

Michael stared at his friend. He saw a fire in his eyes that reminded him of himself when he was younger. "We both have secrets apparently. Let's forget about the past for a moment. Anson is coming for us. How would you get him here quicker? If I don't get him here soon, he will either talk to more people or he will send someone after us."

"As much as I hate the idea, send one of your kids to him and invite him to the house. He comes in and now he's on your playing court." Carter explained.

Fiona threw her hands up in the air, waving them around. "No! Absolutely not! I am not sending one of my children into the lion's den. He will eat them alive and then bring the body back to us. He would kill the children just so he could hurt us."

"It makes sense. If he thinks he can get into the house, he'll take that opportunity. He thinks once he is in, he can control us again." Michael reasoned.

Carter added "Once he's in, you got him. It's three against one. Text Baby and tell her to extend the invite. She can go to his office on lunch." Carter said.

Michael turned to Carter and said "I sent the kids to Miami to find someone who can help us. They are on their way back, but won't be back until tonight."

"No! No way we are involving kids! There has to be another way!" Fiona's yelled.

Michael looked at Fiona with an angry intensity that made Carter step in front of Michael. "We did it your way years ago and I lost you. Now its time to do it my way.I am not losing you or the kids to Anson."

Fiona's eyes filled with tears and she nodded to show she understood his point.

Michael looked at Carter and said "If you want to go, I understand. We can take care of this on our own."

Fiona, wiping her eyes, added "Please Carter! Go be with your family. That's more important."

"As much as you guys hate the idea, I'm staying. You guys are my family too. You befriended two twenty-one year old parents with a five year old who had no idea what they were doing and we've been friends since then. I'm not turning my back on you now. So give me a gun, show me how to shoot it and lets get to work." Carter grabbed a gun, which Michael promptly took out of his hands.

"Let's go into the woods and we'll practice." Fiona said, taking the pistol from Michael to train Carter with.

Michael said "I'll call the kids."

As Michael dialed Baby's cell phone, he realized that Fiona was right. He shouldn't involve the kids in their fight. God forbid if anything was to happen, Baby would take care of her siblings and they had Sam, Carter and Deborah to help them along. He became mad at himself for even thinking of putting the children in harm's way. He'd have to find another way.

Baby answered and began to ramble. "Dad! We are about six hours from home. We have Sam and we just stopped at a place to get breakfast while we drive."

"Baby, listen to me. Your Mom and I love you kids more than you'll ever know, but I need you guys to head back to Miami." Michael swallowed hard, hoping he sounded as normal as possible.

"Dad are you insane? We have Sam, didn't you hear me? He's bringing his son. Sam's in great shape for a guy his age." Baby argued.

Sam looked at Baby and asked "Old man giving you a hard time?"

"Give the phone to Sam." Michael said.

She handed the phone to Sam who was leaning on the hood of his truck. "Mikey? We'll be there in six hours or less. I can't wait..."

Michael felt tears rolling down his face. "Sam, good to hear your voice. Take the kids back to Miami. Keep them safe. I'll pay you for the gas and putting them up. Just keep my kids safe that's all I'm asking."

"Mike, of course I'll keep them safe. They are great kids." Sam was confused, hoping Michael would tell him something, a signal.

"Remember Warsaw?" Michael asked. There was Sam's signal.

"Oh crap." Sam said rubbing his scruffy chin. "Yeah. I remember Warsaw. I'll keep the kids safe and you call when it's over." Sam said sadly. He didn't like to remember what happened in Warsaw. He hung up the phone and gnashed his teeth in frustration.

"Baby, we need to talk. Kyle, take Michaela and Samuel for a walk."

Baby protested. "Whatever you have to tell me, they can hear too. "

"Kyle, take them and go." Sam yelled.

Michaela and Samuel agreed to walk with Kyle. Sam had Baby get into the truck.

"Your Dad and I go way back. Even after all these years I know his voice. He's scared. You heard him. He doesn't want you kids to go back home because it could get dangerous and he is scared you kids will get hurt. This guy is dangerous. He ruins lives. I'll back you up if you want to keep going, if you want to listen to your old man, no one blames you..."

Baby looked at Sam with tears in her eyes. "What happened in Warsaw?"

"If he didn't tell you, then I'm not telling you. Leave it at that." Sam said.

"No. You were ready to drive us up here to help our parents and then Dad mentions Warsaw and you completely change? There is something behind it. What aren't you telling me?" Baby yelled.

Sam raised his voice, something he hated to do even with his own son. "I am not telling you what happened. You are too young. Just because I'm letting you decide if we go home or not, doesn't mean you get to know what my discussion with your Dad was about."

Baby threw a fit. "Do not treat me like a child! I am responsible enough to get my siblings from Pennsylvania to Florida and back again in one piece. I managed to locate a Navy Seal and get him to come with us! So do not throw my age in my face!"

"Fine. You want to know what happened? Your Dad met me in Poland and we worked on an assignment together. There was a Polish agent who had children. The mission went bad. The man's children were all lined up and shot in front of him. Then they shot his wife in the head but only put a bullet in his arm. Your Dad tried to save the kids but he got shot a few times and nearly died. You never forget seeing a man lose his whole entire family at one time. We vowed that if it ever got bad and one of us had to get our family to safety, we'd use the codeword 'Warsaw'. He doesn't want you there because he's afraid and he doesn't want you to be involved in their fight." Sam shouted. He was surprised that someone so little could fight like Baby was. She had Fiona's fire deep within her.

"Tell me what you want to do." Sam said, in a softer tone.

After a few quiet moments, Baby said in a soft but forceful tone that reminded him of Michael. "This is my family. Even if we told Mom and Dad not to get involved in our fights, they would. That's what family does. They have each other's backs. Get Kyle to bring them back to the car, because we are going home to protect what's ours."

"I'm glad you said that, because I didn't want to break out my speech to try and convince you if you decided to listen to your parents!" Sam said, with a smile on his face. "Devil be damned, Mikey's kids are coming after ya!"


	10. Chapter 10

A/N...Thanks so much to WritePassion & Amanda! 33 Also all my tweeps & you awesome people who are reading this! Love you all!

* * *

Sam let Kyle drive. Looking back, Sam saw a scowl on Michaela's face. "What's up Michaela? You mad about something?"

"What was that meeting you guys had in the car?"

Baby knew the question was directed at her. She chuckled and said. "I am not telling you. When you go off with Mom and talk to her about stuff, do I ask you what it was about? No. I let you two go off. If you or Mom thought I needed to know something, you would tell me. You don't need to know what I talked about with Sam. If I thought you should know, I would have told you. Its for the best that you don't know."

"That is a bunch of crap and you know it. I talk to her about boys or my friends, this is something entirely different"

Baby's voice got louder. "Yes! This is different but you still don't need to know. I am trying to protect you and Samuel."

Baby made Kyle pull the car over. She got out and pulled Michaela with her. Samuel tried to get out to follow his sisters, but Sam stopped him. "Give them space. They need to fight on their own." Sam listened to the girls in case he had to get involved.

"Why won't you tell me what you talked about? I am old enough to handle whatever you know!" Michaela yelled, pushing her sister backwards.

Michaela, while the quietest of the children, could fight just as hard as her sister. Fights between them, as few as they've had, ended with Michael and Fiona restraining each girl.

Baby, not liking her younger sister pushing her, pushed Michaela back but harder. Michaela fell against the hood of the truck.

"You want to fight? You think you are big enough to deal with what I know? " Baby yelled. "Fine, I'll tell you. Dad is scared. He doesn't want us coming home. He wants us to go back to Florida and stay with Sam. I made the decision to go back to our home because if we don't I am terrified we won't have a home to go back to!" Baby screamed while gesticulating wildly.

Baby began to walk away from her sister. Michaela grabbed her shoulder and said "Wasn't that our decision to make together as a team?"

"In this case its me making a decision that I am solely responsible for, no one else. If something goes wrong its all on my shoulders. You shouldn't have to worry about this." Baby answered.

"You should have included me. Its my home and my parent's too." Michaela took a deep breath and hugged her sister. "You aren't alone in this."

Baby sighed and hugged her younger sister back. "They are going to kill us when we get home."  
Both girls laughed and get back into the car.

Sam shook his head and said "Floor it Kyle, before the girls have another fight." A few hours later Sam was in amazement as the girls were giggling with one another as if nothing had ever happened.

* * *

Michael was in the basement when he heard his cell phone go off. Picking it up, he unlocked the screen and saw he had a text message from Michaela. It was a picture of his kids leaning against the hood of what Michael assumed was Sam's truck. Several more pictures of the children came through, making Michael smile.

"What are you smiling at?" Fiona asked.

"Michaela sent me pictures." Michael said, handing Fi his phone.

Fiona looked at the pictures, stopping at the same one Michael was looking at when she walked in. Her eyes filled with tears, she said "That's Sam's boy hugging Baby? Baby looks so..."

"Calm, relaxed, happy. Quite a change from seeing her with Mason a month ago." Michael thought back to the last time Baby's boyfriend had caused her to be unhappy.

_It was around eleven at night when Michael came downstairs to find Baby and Michaela whispering in the kitchen. Michaela had an ice pack to Baby's eye and was trying to comfort her sister. He stayed out of sight, but listened to their conversation. _

_"You need to stop seeing him. I don't know why you put up with him. All you two do is argue and now he hits you. Mom and Dad will flip when they see you in the morning." Michaela said. _

_Baby winced in pain as she moved the ice pack on her face. "That's why you need to tell them I went to school early. I'm going to stop by the market and get coverup for the bruise." She added "I am going to be in such trouble when his parents call Mom and Dad. Mason knew not to mess with me." _

_Michael turned the lights on, causing Michaela to jump. "Dad! What are you doing up?" _

_"What's going on here?" Michael asked. _

_Without any pause Michaela said "Baby startled me and I punched her. I'm just giving her some ice." _

_Michael tried hard to control his feelings. He was angry that Michaela lied to him and angry that someone hurt one of his girls. He also felt sadness that they both had to see what evil men can do to women. _

_"I heard everything you both said. Michaela, get to bed. You are grounded this weekend for lying to me." Michael said, in a low rumbly voice. _

_"Dad! I have..." Michaela tried to protest. _

_"GO TO BED!" He shouted. _

_Baby smiled at her sister and nodded, signaling her to leave. "You better go. I'm fine. Thanks" She said to Michaela as she walked out of the room. _

_Michael pulled a chair out and sat in front of Baby, holding her face in his hands. He looked at her eye, making sure he saw no bleeding or scratches. _

_He got up and went to the freezer. Handing Baby a bag of frozen peas and a towel, he mumbled "This will work better than the ice." He sat back down in his chair. _

_They were both quiet. "You too old to sit in your old man's lap?" he asked. _

_Baby got up and sat on Michael's lap. He placed his hand on her face, making her look at him. "You are not to see that boy again. You deserve to be treated with love and respect. He doesn't respect you. Was this the first time he hit you? "_

_"It was. Don't worry, its going to be the last time he hits anyone I think." _

_"What does that mean?" Michael asked, afraid of her answer. _

_Playing with the neck of Michael's t-shirt, she said "He may have been hit with my softball bat a few times and then I may have accidentally stepped on his hand that punched me."_

_Michael gave Baby a hug. "Get to bed. We'll have to work this out tomorrow morning."_

_Baby stood up and began to walk away. She turned around and stopped. "Dad, you really thought I would let some jerk hit me and I'd stay with him? I have high standards for the guy who wins my heart. The guy who wins my heart has to measure up to you, or be better even. Those that don't, get knocked a peg. Mason had to be knocked down two or three pegs. I liked him a lot, but Devil be damned if he thinks he is going to hurt me!"_

_Michael smiled as he watched Baby walking off to bed, happy knowing she was exactly like her mother._

Michael was jolted back to reality when he heard Fiona muse "Sam has a boy. As much as he made me nuts, I always knew he would be a good father. He looks like a happy boy."

As Fi looked at Sam's son and her daughter in one another's arms, another picture came through, causing Fiona to gasp. "What's wrong Fi?"

Fiona held up the phone and showed Michael the picture of Sam. He smiled and "He looks good. Bet he's mad about the white hair though." Michael took the phone from Fiona's hands and looked at the picture closer this time.

"If we survive this, believe me I'm going to tease him about his hair." Fiona said.

"We will Fi..." Michael said taking her into his arms and holding her. He would have continued but Carter came into the basement.

"Guys, I am going to head over to the school and tell this joker I want to play his game. I have a plan."

Michael and Fiona both eyed Carter. "What's your plan?"

"Get him to my house. He can come to the barn. Its secluded enough that no one will hear him so you can do whatever you need to do to him. When you are done, we'll treat him like the deer I carve up after I go hunting. I can even dispose of him by using lye."

"Do it." Michael said.

As Carter left to see Anson, Fiona said outloud. "Even that death would be too good for him."


	11. Chapter 11

Sam and children were three hours from their home. Kyle, Baby and Samuel sat in the backseat while Michaela acted as Sam's co-pilot. Occasionally Sam would look back and see Kyle and Baby whispering to one another and giggling. The entire time in the back seat he was holding her hand.

"I guess I should have asked you this before I started holding your hand, but do you have a boyfriend?" Kyle asked.

Baby laughed. "Do you think I'd let you hold my hand if I was seeing someone else? I was dating someone about a month ago but it ended badly."

"Who ended it? You or him?" Kyle asked.

"I ended it. He punched me and then he seemed to run into my bat maybe four times and then got his hand stuck under my combat boot."

Kyle exclaimed "What an unlucky guy!"

Baby laughed. "I know! When my Dad went to talk his parents, they seemed to think I was the one who provoked their son to punch me."

Sam overhearing the conversation, asked "That conversation didn't go over too well, did it?"

"When Mason's Dad said I deserved to be hit and Mason had the right to hit me as my boyfriend, my Dad slammed his Dad into the living room wall, almost breaking his arm at the elbow. I'd say the conversation went just great! Mason won't even look at me in school."

Kyle replied with a simple "Wow! You are pretty scary and I"ll have to remember to not upset you. I don't want to run into your baseball bat...or your father for that matter."

Baby smiled at Kyle and said "I could never do that to you. You are the sweetest guy I've met in ages. You are helping me with no questions asked and no fighting. It's nice to to fight with someone all the time. That's all Mason and I did, fought constantly over everything."

"Well, that's not my style." Kyle answered.

They drove in silence for a bit before pulling off for gas. Kyle and Baby stayed with the car, pumping the gas. Michaela and Samuel went to the bathroom, while Sam got some snacks for everyone. As Sam paid for the gas and food, he looked out the window and saw Kyle lean towards Baby and give her a slow, sweet kiss.

"I kissed you." Kyle said as the kiss ended, their lips still being very close to one another.

Baby giggled "I know. I liked it. Maybe we could do that again?" She said in a whisper.

Kyle put the gas nozzle back into the pump and wrapped his arm around Baby. She immediately threw both her arms around his waist. Sam watched as Kyle nuzzled his nose into her hair.

"Baby, get your brother and sister. I need to talk to Kyle for a second" Sam said as he approached the two lovebirds.

Once Baby was out of earshot, Sam whacked Kyle across the back of the head.

"What was that for?" he asked, rubbing the sore spot his father created.

Sam looked frustrated. "You kissed a girl that you have known for less than a week. I see you two holding hands and getting cozy in the back seat. Cool with the romance Romeo. We are going to help them out and then head back home, so don't go getting attached "

"What if I wanted to stay with her? Before you even fight with me, I'm telling you that wherever she is, that's where I am going to be. I am not leaving her." Kyle said.

Sam was going to answer Kyle, but Baby came back. Instead he spoke sternly to the two of them. "Cool the romance, we have a job to do. We'll talk more about this later. Get in the car and let's get to the house."

Quietly the group piled into the car, Sam taking the steering wheel. Occasionally he'd glanced back at Kyle and Baby, watching them hold hands and steal tiny kisses when they thought no one was watching.

Kyle brushed the hair from Baby's ear and whispered. "My Dad doesn't want me to get attached to you."

Baby pulled back and gave him a questioning look. Kyle pulled her close again and said "He doesn't know that its already too late. Fiona, I think you are stuck with me."

"I couldn't think of a nicer guy to be stuck with than you Kyle." Baby said in a whisper, as she kissed him on the cheek.

Michaela asked out loud "I wonder how things are going at home. We haven't heard from Mom and Dad. When I texted them pictures, I got no answer."

"No response at all? They always text back." Samuel said.

Baby squeezed Kyle's hand a little tighter and asked "Sam, you think everything is ok or should I worry?"

"If I know your parents as well as I think I do, they already have a plan in motion. Don't worry. Everything will be fine" Sam said, saying a silent prayer that he would be correct.

After about driving an hour, the truck began to make a clunking noise. Swearing under his breath, Sam pulled over and got out of the car. He opened the hood and began tinkering underneath.

Sam threw his wrench down in frustration. "Any of you good with cars?" He shouted. Michaela hopped up from the grassy side of the road and ran over to where Sam was.

"I'm good. Isn't Kyle a mechanic?" Michaela asked.

Sam looked over at Kyle and Baby on the side of the road playing a game that loosely resembled football. Mostly she would run with the ball and be would grab her at the waist, spinning her around.

"He is but he looks like he is having fun with your sister, so I'm just going to let him be. Since his mom died we've both been in a fink. Its nice to see him happy." Sam explained, realizing that maybe he shouldn't be trying to take away something that was making him so happy. They both had been through the wringer lately and maybe this was the break Kyle and Baby needed.

Sam instructed her on what she needed to do with the wrench. "You have no boyfriend?" He asked.

Michaela shook her head. "Not a single one. Plenty of guy friends but I keep up my studies and work on cars with the other guys. Just not big on dating. Dad said that if by the end of the school year I maintained a 3.8GPA, he would find me an old junker that we could rebuild together. I'd rather have the car and it the one special thing I do with Dad."

"Special thing?" Sam asked.

Michaela grabbed the duct tape Sam handed her and showed her where to tape. "Dad has one special thing he does with each of us. No one else is allowed to do it with us. Just something he can share to give us individual attention. Mine is cars, Samuel is carpentry, and Baby is cooking. He tried to teach us all how to cook but Baby had an interest in it. When mom got sick last year, Baby was the one who cooked for us."

Sam probed more. "What was wrong with Mom?"

"Ovarian cancer, but its in remission and she's really doing a lot better. Baby did the cooking while Samuel and I did the cleaning. Dad kind of shut down at times and just wanted to be with Mom. I mean, he was there for us if we needed him, but he didn't interact much until he knew she was going to be ok." Michaela explained. "Baby compensated for his lack of talking by overtalking. I'm serious! She never shut-up!"

Sam laughed. The more he talked to Michaela while they fixed the car, the more he realized one thing. Once you got Michaela talking, she was just like Madeline-a chatterbox.

The car was finally fixed and they all piled back into the car. Sam decided to let the lovebirds snuggle in the back. Michaela looked tired.

"Samuel, feel like directing an old man on how to get to your house?" Sam asked.

"You could always let me drive!" Samuel exclaimed, hoping Sam would hand him the car keys.

"Slim chance kid, get in the passenger seat and don't mess with my radio." Sam retorted as he climbed into the truck and drove off towards the children's home.


	12. Chapter 12

A/N...Soooooo...sorry if this chapter sucks...We all know about Anson...so that kinda killed my mood to kill him myself. So now I'm just going to focus on catching Sam/Mike/Fi up with one another & seeing where I can go with Kyle/Baby.

* * *

Sam and the children arrived home on their street as the sun began to set. Sam pulled the car to the side of the road and turned off the motor. "Listen, up until now, I've been letting Baby run the show. This guy in with your parents is the most evil and diabolical son on a bleep I've ever met. Whatever I say to do, you do when I tell you to do it. Understand?" All the children shook their heads in unison.

As they drove past the house where Carter lived with his family, Baby shrieked "My parent's car is there. Stop! They are over Noelle's house!" In a panic, Baby jumped out of the moving truck and sprinted towards the front door. Kyle ran after her, grabbing her at the waist and covering her mouth before she reached the front door. "Baby, calm down. We don't know if they are there for sure. You heard my Dad. We can't go busting inside."

Sam walked past Kyle and Baby, up to a small window on the side of the house. He looked in and saw Fiona fending off a big goon, who looked like he could be a pro-wrestler. Sam scanned the room and saw Michael attacking a second henchman of Anson's from behind, but was subdued by another large ogre looking man who was another henchman of Anson. Anson lay on the floor, in a pool of blood. Sam banged his head against the window when he saw Samuel and Michaela break through the front door, with Baby and Kyle not far behind. Immediately the goons focused on the children, punching Samuela and Michaela. They both landed on the floor and weren't moving. Kyle and Baby were trying to taunt the goons while Michael and Fiona regrouped to attack again. Sam quietly bust through the back kitchen door and found Michael and Fiona inside.

"I thought I told you to take them back to Florida." Michael shouted. .

"Yeah, Baby thought you would need help and she was right. I need a rolling pin. I'm going to go through the front door and knock them in the head. Fiona and you charge at them with those really big knives."

Michael smiled. "Missed you Sam."

Fiona looked at Michael and Sam. With an annoyed voice she said "My children are taking on two very large, violent men. Can we have a reunion later?" Everyone scattered as the plan rolled into motion.

Quickly the two goons were taken down, but not before Baby received a huge slice on her arm from one of the men's knives. Carter who was passed out after being hit with an iron pipe, finally woke up and looked confused. Pushing his confusion away, he helped Sam and Michael carry Anson and his cohorts into the barn where Carter would start to dispose of them by dissolving their remains in a cooker filled with lye.

As Sam sewed up the wound on Baby's arm, Michael walked into the kitchen yelled at her. "I told you to stay away. You took a risk and you could have been killed."

"So instead you wanted us to stay away so this guy could kill you and Mom? No. I couldn't live with listening to you if I knew I could have helped and you ended up dead because I didn't come. You are so stupid to think..."

Michael shouted louder. "You don't understand that this man would have killed you kids and not thought anything else about it. He would have killed you guys while making sure your Mom and I watched." Michael turned and looked out the kitchen window so Baby or Sam wouldn't see the tears forming in his eyes. He said softly "I would have lost my babies. You kids are my world and I don't know what I'd do without you."

The room was quiet. "Let me finish sewing her up." Michael said. Sam got up and walked into the living room. As Michael finished stitching up his oldest daughter he said "You ever take such a risk again and you will be in a world of trouble you never could have imagined. Do you understand?"

"Yes sir." Baby wiped the tears from her eyes. "I am sorry." She knew better than to try and discuss the issue any longer. Instead she asked "How's Michaela and Samuel?"

"They'll be OK. Kyle is with your mom helping. You like Kyle?"

With an Irish accent she said "That I do". causing Michael to laugh. He tied off the stitch and covered her wound with gauze.

Fiona stuck her head into the kitchen. "Can we switch? Michaela is asking for you."

Michael left Baby and Fiona in the kitchen and went into the living room. Michaela was sitting up on the couch. "Hey you"

"Hey Dad What happened? How we get home?" Michaela asked, rubbing her face groggily.

"Kyle took baby, I took you and Sam took Samuel. We carried you guys across the backyards."

Michaela's eyes widened. "Oh crap! Samuel! How is Samuel?" She went to get off the couch, but she fell forward. Michael lunged forward and caught her before she smashed her head on the coffee table in front of her.

"Your brother is fine. He woke up a little bit ago and was just sore. He's on the front porch resting." Michael grabbed a flashlight and checked her pupils. "You, on the other hand, have a nice little concussion. Just sit here on the couch."

Sitting next to Michaela, he wrapped his arm around his daughter and kissed her head. "That was insanely stupid to rush into the house like you did. You are lucky you only have a concussion. One bad blow to the head and they could have killed you and your brother."

"Dad, we were just trying to help. Baby tried to run in first but Kyle stopped her. So Samuel and I decided we should make a move instead."

Baby walked into the room and sat on the other side her her father. He carefully put an arm around her, trying to avoid her wound. He kissed them both on the head and told them to rest on the couch while he went to check on Samuel.

Sitting down next to Samuel, he messed up his hair and said "Your sisters are insane. Neither of them listen to anyone. They just go ahead and do want."

Samuel sighed. "I told Michaela not to run in! When we got to the door, I told her I'm the guy and I should go first. Next thing I know I'm on the couch at home. I missed all the action."

Michael laughed. "Yeah. You missed Michaela getting knocked out and Baby getting knifed. That's a fun night in my book." Michael put his hand on top of his son's hand. "Don't let your sisters tell you what to do so much. They aren't your mother. Stand up to them and if they keep telling you to do something you disagree with, walk away. It's not worth all of you getting hurt."

After spending a few minutes with his son on the front porch, Michael stood up and kissed his son on the head.

"Dad? How long are Sam and Kyle staying?"

Shaking his head, Michael answered "Not sure. I hope a long time. I missed him. I'm going inside and catch up with him. You should get to bed." Michael said, helping his son get to his feet. Saying a quick prayer that Sam was still the same as when he left him all those years ago in Miami, Michael walked into the house and heard Sam's voice in the kitchen. Feeling nervous he said loudly "Sam, you better not be drinking all my beer!"


	13. Chapter 13

As Michael checked on the kids, Sam sat in the kitchen with Fiona. "So, tell me everything. How's Elsa? I hope we didn't cause any problems, but we just didn't know what else to do with the kids."

Sam frowned and swirled his beer bottle in his hand. "Fi, Elsa died two years ago. It was a bad car accident. Kyle was in it too. A drunk driver in a tractor trailer ran a red light and hit Elsa's side first."

"Oh, Sam! I'm so sorry. How are you guys doing?" Fiona asked, putting her hand on Sam's arm.

"We are doing pretty good. Kyle had a rough time last year, but he's doing a lot better this year. I heard you were sick. What was that all about?" Sam asked, needing to change topics.

Fiona took a sip of her beer and sat cross legged on the kitchen chair. "I had ovarian cancer. The doctors found it but it ended up spreading. I was in and out of the hospital for the past two years trying to control it. We finally got it in remission though and I've been ok for about a year now."

"Baby said Mikey didn't handle it well. She had to take on extra responsibility. He OK now?"

Fiona let out a dry laugh "She underplays what she did. I was really sick and as soon as the doctors said my odds of survival were low, Michael freaked and shut down. Baby ended up dropping out of school for a year, against my wishes. She took care of the house, her siblings, the bills, me and Michael. He just shut down and focused on me only. He got to the point where Baby had to tell him when to eat and..."

Fiona would have continued but she heard Michael yell out "Sam, you better not be drinking all my beer!"

Sam stood up and greeted Michael with a hug. "Missed you brother" Sam said tearfully.

Mike patted Sam's back heartily and said "I missed you too."

They sat down and Sam began to speak "I hate to be the bearer of bad news but your mom died about a year after you guys left."

Seeing Michael's fallen expression, Fiona sat down in Michael's lap. He rested his head on her chest. Fiona played with Michael's hair as she spoke to Sam. "We saw her obituary online. What did she die of?"

"The doctors didn't really know. Officially they just labeled it 'natural causes'. She just never got over losing you guys."  
Seeing how sad Michael had become, Sam knew he had to say something. He didn't know if he was going to make it better or worse though. "I know it sucks that so much changed, but if you didn't leave when you did, Fiona would be dead. You would have killed yourself and you would have never had those three amazing kids. Its a trade off, but I think you guys made the best decision you possibly could".

"I figure that Nate got the house when Mom passed, He doing ok with the house?" asked Michael.

Sam took a sip of his beer and ran his hand through his hair. "Nate ended up losing the house. He gambled away the deed. Elsa and I tried to buy it but his debts were tied to the house and I just didn't think it was safe to buy a house he gambled with. You'd never know who would knock on the doors looking for Nate or money."

"I should call Nate." Michael said softly.

Sam sighed. "Nate disappeared after he lost the house. He tried to come around us, but he was always drunk and poor Kyle was terrified of him. I couldn't have him around. I'm sorry Mike."

MIchael nodded. "I understand. You had to do what you needed to keep your family safe."

Fiona realized she needed to change the subject. "Sam, how's Jesse? Is he still in Miami?"

"No. As a matter of fact, he's married with four kids and they all live in Ohio. His job transferred him out there about ten years ago. We email and text a lot. His kids are about the same age as all of ours. Married a nice girl named Marisol."

They were all enjoying a comfortable silence when Carter came into the house. "Hey guys. Sorry to interupt, but just wanted to update you guys. Everything is being handled just fine. I called Deborah and Noelle told them to take a few more days away from home while I clean up and everything should go back to normal. Rob, I need you to work tomorrow so I can get all this done."

Fiona knew Michael was trying to process everything, so she answered for him. "I'll make sure he's there Carter. Would you mind letting us have some time with our friend?"

"Oh no! I've been really rude! I didn't mean to intrude. Sam, nice to meet you. I'll talk to you guys tomorrow." Carter said as he walked out the door.

"He's a ball of fire." Sam remarked.

Michael laughed. "He's a little high strung. He's always been like that. Sam, where are you guys sleeping tonight?"

"I guess we'll head back to Florida. I should really go get Kyle." Sam said quickly as he got up leaving a confused Michael and Fiona in the kitchen.

They both followed him into the living room, where they all saw the same sweet sight. Kyle and Baby sleeping on the couch. Kyle's one arm was wrapped around her torso, while the other one was firmly planted in her hair, holding her head against his shoulder.

Fiona, bracing herself for Michael to start yelling at the children for being in such a position when they don't know one another, was surprised. Michael smiled and whispered to Sam. "What do you have in Florida that's so important? Move up here Sam. Baby and Kyle can see if they can make a go of this relationship. I can get you both jobs."

"Mike..." Sam said, drawing out his name.

Michael looked over at Sam and said "Stay. I need my best friend. I missed you."

"What about Carter? You guys seem pretty close." Sam asked.

Michael shook his head. "We are good friends and business partners, but he wouldn't have done any of the things you've done for me. I need you. I think Baby needs Kyle like I need Fiona."

"I'll think about it. Maybe you could get me another beer and a bed?" Sam asked as Michael patted his shoulder.

"You will like it out here Sam, I promise." Fiona said as Sam walked off to the kitchen with Michael. Fiona took a blanket and covered the two sleeping lovebirds on her couch, hoping that they would find a way to make it work.


	14. Chapter 14

It was two in the morning and Baby couldn't sleep. She didn't want to move and wake Kyle, also not wanting to leave the safety of his arms. Finally, an hour later, she decided to get up and move into the kitchen. She began rummaging through the fridge, trying to find a snack.

"What are you doing up?" Kyle asked, pulling out a kitchen chair and pointing to it. He said "Sit."

Handing Kyle a loaf of bread, she gave him a scowl and sat in the chair. "I was hungry and wanted something to eat. We didn't have much of a dinner because I was busy getting stabbed. Remember?"

Kyle put the loaf of bread down on the counter and mumbled "Yeah, I remember. You know you really had me worried. I don't like feeling like that. You ever make me worry again and there will be so much trouble"

Getting out of the chair, Baby got up and wrapped her arms around Kyle's waist. "I promise I won't ever make you worry like that again."

As Kyle made Baby a sandwich, Baby held onto his waist, resting her head on Kyles back. "So now that this is all done, are you going back to Florida?" Baby held her breath, almost afraid of his answer.

Baby smiled when almost as quickly as she asked, Kyle responded "I'm staying. This is where you are so this is where I'll be. Wherever you go, I go. Got it?"

"Got it."

Kyle helped Baby sit down. He crouched down next to her and said "I've never fallen so hard or so fast. All I know that is if I'm not with you, it will kill me."

"Me too" Baby said, trying not to cry. "Just don't leave me. My Dad left my Mom years ago when they were younger and they made their way back, but you can tell it broke their hearts. I don't want to go through all that, so please just stay."

Kyle stood up and kissed Baby on the head. "I'm staying. I know you won't leave here, so I'm going to have to move up here. End of discussion. I'm going to check on Michaela and Samuel. You eat and get back on that couch."

Baby smiled as she began to eat her sandwich.

"So Kyle is staying, I guess." Michael said from the laundry room which was just off of the kitchen.

Baby jumped. "Dad! I didn't know you were here."

"I gave Sam the den. I couldn't sleep so I decided to read in the laundry room so the light didn't wake you up. You really like Kyle, don't you?"

Baby picked at her sandwich. "Its only been a few days but when I am with him I am the happiest I've ever been. When I am not with him, I...I..."

"Feel like you can't breathe." Michael said.

"Yes!" Baby got up and began pacing. "I know its crazy but I can't explain it. I don't understand it and I sure don't expect you and mom or Sam to understand it but we understand it and its like a peacefulness I didn't have with Mason and I know we can be good together and I know he feels the same way and you can't let them leave Dad you have to make Sam stay because Sam needs Kyle and Kyle needs Sam but Kyle doesn't want to go back to Florida..."

Michael stopped Baby from ranting by giving her a hug and holding her. "I will help you make it work. I've been where you are. I know how you are feeling better than you think."

Michaela and Samuel came into the kitchen. Michaela said "Your boyfriend came to check on me, sat down on you bed and passed out. He snores...loudly."

Samuel grabbed his sister's sandwich and took a bite from an uneaten corner. He began to chant "Baby has a boyfriend, Baby has a boyfriend"

Michaela smacked her brother across the back of the head. "Stop teasing her! It's adorable. You saw how cute they were getting all cozy and giggly in the backseat on our way back from Florida. Reminded me of Mom and Dad when we were little. You remember all the whispers, looks and secret laughing."

As the girls were talking among themselves, Michael watched Samuel get out a frying pan, eggs and bread. "Buddy, its like four in the morning. Maybe you should wait a bit and cook later."

"Dad, I agree its four in the morning, but we have to figure out how to make Sam stay. If you want me to be productive and help, then I have to have something in my stomach." Samuel reasoned. "Once I eat, I'll be much more helpful."

Before Samuel could crack an egg, Michael grabbed the container and said "You all need to go to bed. We'll work this out when we get up later. Samuel, switch rooms with Michaela since Kyle is asleep in their room and Baby can sleep on the couch."

Michael watched the kids walk out of the kitchen as cleaned up the mess they made. He didn't mind, as he loved it when all three children were in the same room together. They were loud and crazy, but he loved it. When Baby was born he vowed that his home would be a happy place, no matter how loud or messy the children were. He did not want the children to be subjected to a childhood like he was.

"Dad. I just wanted to say something before I went to bed." Michaela said softly, jarring Michael from his thoughts.

"What's on your mind?"

Michaela sighed. "I hope Sam stays. Not just because he's cool and funny. Not just because it'd be good for Kyle to not be alone. I hope he stays for you and Mom. You are friends with Carter, but there is something different about you when Sam is around. Almost like you are calmer and happier. Carter is a great guy, but sometimes he's a bit too...hyper for you."

Michael nodded his head on agreement, kissing Michaela on the head. "I hope he stays too. I missed him. Now get bed before I carry you myself. I'm not so old that I can't put you over my shoulder. I'll see you in the morning. I love you."

"Love you too Dad." Michaela said as she walked off, leaving a smiling Michael in the kitchen.

A few minutes later, Michael climbed back into bed with Fiona. He pulled her close and kissed the back of her neck.

"Where have you been? I missed you." Fiona said sleepily.

"In the kitchen with the kids. Kyle is staying. If he leaves Baby, it'll be like me leaving you in Ireland. I can't do that to either of them. If Sam doesn't stay we'll have to help Kyle."

Fiona sighed and pulled herself closer to Michael. "Of course we'll help Kyle and of course we'll get Sam to stay. It will all work out. Now get some sleep."

Fiona felt a kiss on the back of her head and soon felt Michael fall asleep, herself being lulled back to sleep by his breathing. Whatever they had to deal with could wait a few more hours.


	15. Chapter 15

Kyle paced around the basement as Michael fixed a wooden chair from the dining room that has split due to age. Kyle walked back and forth, shaking his head.

"What if dad doesn't want to stay? What if he wants me to go back to Florida? I'll go back for my stuff but I don't want to stay."

Michael tightened the clamps he had on the chair. "Relax. It will be OK."

Baby bounded down the basement stairs followed by Michaela and Samuel. Michael raised his voice and pointed to the stairs "Michaela and Sam, get upstairs. This does not involve you two so go do something."

As Fiona passed Michaela and Samuel on the basement stairs, she gave them a smile and said "Living room is the best place to eavesdrop."

Fiona entered the basement and sat next to Baby. She took hold of her daughters hand and held it tight. "Be strong and stand your ground. If you get scared, just remember you are fighting for love. That's the most honorable of all fights. Its what your father and I fought for and we won. You will too."

Sam came down the stairs and sat on the bottom step. "Kyle, we need to talk. We need to figure out where we are going. Mike wants us to stay. I am sure Baby wants you to stay. What do you want to do?"

"I'm staying." Kyle said simply.

Sam took a sip of his beer. "Where you going to live, where are you going to work? You just decide spur of the moment because you fell in love with some girl."

Fiona yelled "Excuse me Sam? My daughter is not just 'some girl'."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that. I mean he just met her and he's willing to uproot his whole life and move from Florida to Pennsylvania. Kyle, you haven't even know her a week."

Kyle sighed. "I know I haven't known her long, but these days with Baby have been the happiest days I've had since Mom died and I want to hold onto that. I can't go back to Florida. It hurts to much."

Michael could sense Sam's trepidation. "Sam, if he wants to stay, we can help him find a place and get a job. Baby said he's a mechanic. Kyle can work anywhere with that skill. We'll take care of him." Continuing to work on the chair, Michael mumbled "Wish you would stay too."

"I just can't give you my blessing to do this. You are eighteen and you can do what you want, but I don't approve. We have a life in Florida and that's where we should be."

Baby, who had been quiet up until this point, added her opinion. "You know, we don't need your approval. I don't really care how any of you feel about this. This is my decision and Kyle's decision. If we make a go of this and fail, then that's our failure. All I know is that I want to be with Kyle and he wants to be with me."

"You guys are kids. You change moods like the wind. I don't want him to move up here and you guys break up a week later. If you break up, then your family sides with you and he's stuck here until the lease on his apartment runs out. I was ok with you two being romantic on the way up because he provided distraction for you, but now we are back to reality. Kyle should come back home where he belongs. Sorry little girl." Sam said, his voice getting louder.

Baby stood her ground. "He belongs with me. Its only been a few days but I need him."

Sam interrupted her "You are eighteen. You don't know what you need."

Kyle yelled at Sam. "I know I need Baby. When I'm not with her, I can't breathe. I worry incessantly over her even when she's in the next room! I just want to be with her, holding her in my arms or at least holding her hand.

Baby smiled and ran into Kyle's arms, attaching herself to his waist. "We aren't separating. Mom and Dad separated when they were younger and it took them forever to find one another again. I don't want to lose him like that."

Michael looked up at the ceiling and said "Baby, you guys go upstairs. You made your point."

Once the children were out of the basement, Fiona offered her opinion. "Sam, Baby is not a girl who goes into a relationship lightly. She never does anything lightly. Her last boyfriend was a sorry sack of potatoes that she stayed with even though all they did was fight. She'd still be with him today if he didn't hit her. She tries to fix everything until it all completely falls apart. I know she will work at the relationship."

Michael who was listening to everything but saying nothing, finally spoke. "Sam, he's eighteen. He's going to do what he wants. If you don't let him, he'll resent you for the rest of your life. I have to support Baby no matter what she decides. The most I can do is offer my opinion and hope she takes it. I know we did a good job raising her and she has a good head on her shoulders. Sometimes love happens when you are older, sometimes younger. You can't stand in the way of it."

"So are you for this or against it?" asked Sam.

Without hesitation Michael said "I am for it. I don't to see them separate and have to go through that agony of being insanely in love but not have the other person there with you. I never want them to go through that. You were there each time I lost Fiona and just by looking at them i can tell they would be just as tortured if not more." By the end of his speech Michael's voice was loud and booming. Sam forgot how forceful he was when he made a point.

The room was quiet. Fiona walked over to Sam and sat down next to him. She put her head on his shoulder. "Sam, we want you to stay too. There is plenty of room here for you. Michael has missed you. Heck, I even have missed you."

"Now you are starting to scare me. I can't believe you actually missed me!" Sam said, running his hands through his hair. "I don't exactly fit in with your new life here. You guys have Carter and his family."

Michael smiled. "You are the only person who I let in my fridge and take a beer. Everyday since we left Miami I wanted to call you and tell you how we were or tell you stuff the kids did. Carter is my friend and business partner but he's not my brother. You have always had my back even when we couldn't communicate with you. I know its hard to pick up and leave but I need you."

The room was quiet again. Michael said "I'll take everyone out to dinner. I'll go get the kids together. At least join us for dinner."

Michael left the basement but Fiona stayed behind. "Sam, I really hope you stay. Michael needs you more than he lets on. He was always happy to have me back with him, but he missed you terribly. At least stay the weekend and then go back to Florida. I do want you to do me a favor though. Could you please bring me back my snowglobes? "

Sam nodded. " I can bring them back up for you and. I can bring Kyle his clothes too. I heard mikes argument for them and he's right. Everyone is right. I'm just a stubborn ol' mule. Now I just have to figure what I want."

"Come to dinner and we can have beers and reminisce. I miss you. Michael misses you." Fiona said.

"Well, if Mike is buying, then I guess I will join you." Sam said with a smile.

Fiona leapt to her feet and pulled Sam up. "Come on old man, we can make Michael our designated driver."

"Just one thing. Out in public, we are Rob and Cassandra. No one except Carter knows who we are and we told him just to call us Rob and Cassandra no matter what." Fiona advised.

"Got sister. Let's go see if we can drink your husband into poverty." Sam said, eliciting a laugh from Fiona.

Dinner was enjoyable. Sam, Fiona and Michael regaled Carter and the kids with tales from a life long ago. At the end of dinner Carter pulled Sam aside and asked "So where are you going to live? There's some nice little houses not far from here or some bigger ones outside of town."

Sam shrugged. "Not sure. I don't know if I am even staying. "

"You have to stay. This is the happiest and most relaxed I've ever seen Rob and Cassandra. You are good for them." Carter could tell that something else was bothering Sam. "If you need a job, we could always use a cook or bartender. I have a friend who has a garage who will give Kyle a job and I'm sure he could get you one too."

Sam thanked Carter and said he'd think about his offer. When the weekend was up, Sam said goodbye to Michael, Fiona and the children. He gave Kyle a hug and told him he'd be back in a week. Arriving back in Florida, Sam began to pack up Kyle's clothes and things he thought he'd want to have with him. Sitting alone in the house he realized something. The time he spent in Pennsylvania was the happiest he too had been since Elsa passed away. A week later, Sam found himself on the road again heading back to Pennsylvania. He walked up to the front door and walked into the house. He found Michael and Fiona in the kitchen doing dishes. Sam opened up the fridge and grabbed a beer. Michael grabbed a bottle opener and handed it to Sam. Michael and Fiona looked at one another with wide, questioning eyes.

Sam took a sip and said "Soooo...you guys got enough room in this house for me until I can find myself a place near here?"

Both Michael and Fiona screamed in happiness, which surprised Sam a bit. Michael gave Sam a hug and said "You won't regret staying up here Sam. I promise."

As they ended their hug Sam said "I regret letting you leave Miami all those years ago, you think you are getting rid of me that easily?"  
Fiona's eyes lit up. "Where are my snow globes? You said you would bring them!"

"About the snow globes, um, they kinda had an accident and fell while I was driving. They kind of broke all over the inside of my truck."

"Sam Axe! I am going to kill you!" screamed Fiona as she lunged towards Sam.

Sam put his hands up defensively. "I'm just teasing! I left the box in the living room. I may be old, but I'm not senile enough to not keep your snow globes safe!"

Fiona playfully swatted Sam with her dishtowel. Michael smiled. This was always the life he had imagined. Kids in the house, he and Fiona happily married, and Sam by their side. It may have taken him longer than planned but everything was perfect.

* * *

A/N~Hope you enjoyed! Ending this here for now as I am working on some other things. I appreciate all the love! Now...what else do I have up my sleeve? (I also have to finish Proposal and my M-Rated piece too that I'm working on!)


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